


Critical Role Tumblr Requests

by SociallyAwkwardFox



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Injury, Coparenting, Decapitation, Developing Relationship, Dismemberment, Dissociation, Drinking, Eldritch, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Flowers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Matchmaking, Napping, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Protectiveness, Quilting, Resurrection, Romance, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepy Cuddles, Stress Baking, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 174
Words: 117,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26187931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyAwkwardFox/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: A collection of Critical Role Tumblr prompt requests.
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast, Fjord/Caleb Widogast, Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett, Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett/Yasha
Comments: 448
Kudos: 192





	1. Prompt 1 - Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “If you don’t rest, you won’t heal.”

It took a monumental amount of effort to push into a sitting position, leaving Beau panting and leaning against the headboard. The throbbing pain in her side burned so fiercely she had to take a moment to catch her breath. Her eyes squeezed shut as she grit her teeth together and let her head fall back against the headboard. Sweat began to bead along her forehead and drip down the side of her face despite just having woken up.

“You are going to have a very upset cleric on your hands if you do not lay back down.”

With more effort than she cared to admit, Beau forced her eyes open to find a very unimpressed Caleb standing next to her bed. “What?”

“Jester and Caduceus spent all night keeping you from tipping over the brink. They will be very upset if you undo all their hard work, especially Jester.”

“Where is she?”

“Sleeping in Fjord's room. She wanted to watch over you all night, but she needed to rest. I tried to give her my room, but she wouldn't go far. It took a lot of convincing to get her into Fjord's room.”

“What about everyone else? How did we get out of there? I don't remember.”

“That's because you were unconscious by the time we got out of there. There's nothing for you to remember.”

“And everyone else?”

“We're all fine.” The cat scarfed around Caleb's neck jumped down to the mattress, then made himself comfortable on her thigh. “The only one in any danger was you. Everyone else just came away with bumps and bruises.”

“Did we get the item?”

“No, but we can worry about that later.”

“The longer we wait, the more chance they have to prepare.”

“It is more important you have the time you need to heal.”

“I'm fine.”

After removing Frumpkin from her leg, Beau twisted her body to get out of bed only to stop short when the pain became unbearable. Hands pushed against her shoulders to push her back onto the bed at the same time the door opened. Even through her watering eyes, she could make out Jester entering the room over Caleb's shoulder. Regret immediately smacked Beau in the chest when Jester's face twisted in concern and she rushed across the room. 

“What happened?”

“Beauregard is being stubborn.” The undercurrent of exhaustion in Caleb's voice didn't stop him from giving her a very pointed look. “I'll get you both breakfast and leave her in your capable hands.”

“You were supposed to be watching her, Caleb!”

“I was, but she is determined to get back to our job. Hopefully, you can talk some sense into her as I have failed to do.”

The instant Caleb closed the door behind him Jester began fussing with the pillows and adjusting Beau's body to settle against them. When she tugged up the hem of Beau's shirt to prod at her side, Jester remained worryingly silent. A soft pink glow radiated off her hand changing the sharp pain in her side to a dull ache that only twinged a little when she breathed. While she expected a reprimand or lecture about needing to rest, the continued silence from the normally talkative Jester somehow felt worse.

“Thank you.” Purple eyes flicked up to look at her, then went right back to examining Beau's side. “Jessie, I... I'm sorry.”

The silence dragged, until Jester finally let the shirt fall back down and met Beau's eyes. “Sorry for what?”

“For worrying you. You're obviously upset, so sorry for that.”

“I'm not upset. I'm just-” An aggravated huff fell from Jester's lips as she dropped onto the edge of the bed with her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “You almost died yesterday, Beau! If Caduceus and I had been out of magic, we wouldn't have been able to do anything to help you. I wish you wouldn't always put yourself in so much danger all the time.”

“It's hard not to when I'm useless from a distance. If I don't get close, I can't help. Plus, I trust you to have my back.”

“I know, but maybe Nott could teach you how to use a crossbow or... Or, Caleb could teach you magic! You're in the library all the time with him and Essek. All you would need a few spells, then you could fight from a distance if things are too dangerous up close. Like with those giant ice-fire worms or, I don't know, someone wielding a cursed necrotic sword of death. Magic is pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it is, but I think I'll leave that to you. I'd probably make a terrible wizard, and I don't want my hands to smell like shit and sulfur all the time. I already get covered in enough nasty guts as it is.”

“Well, then maybe next time we go up against someone or something that could hurt you from getting too close you watch out backs and let us hit it from a distance. You don't have to punch everything in the face all the time. We can help! That's what makes us all such a great team. We help each other.”

While fiddling nervously with the blanket, Beau cleared her throat and resisted the urge to look away. “You're right. Next time it's that dangerous, I'll hang back and let you guys do your thing.”

“Good! Now, I need you to listen to me carefully. If you don't rest, you won't heal. So, you need to stay right here all day. You can sleep or organize your notes, but no getting out of bed unless you absolutely have to. Clerics orders!”

“Just for today?”

“Yes, Beau, just for today.”

“I can do that. I can totally do that for you.”

A large smile spread across Jester's face that distracted Beau from noticing her shifted forward on the mattress. Soft lips pressed quickly against her forehead, then immediately pulled away before Beau could completely comprehend what happened. Her brain was so busy catching up that the blush slowly spreading across Jester's cheeks barely registered. Before she could say anything, Jester abruptly stood with the blush rapidly darkening.

“Okay! I'm going to get you a book from the library. Bye!”

As Jester rushed out of the room, Caleb almost got the tray of food knocked out of his hands when the door flew open. He paused to watch Jester disappear down the stairs, then shrugged his shoulders and entered the room. After setting the tray on Beau's lap, his eyebrows raised in question as he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Should we be concerned?”

“She told me I'm not allowed to get up. You need to go talk to her for me.”

“Talk to her about what?”

“She kissed me on the forehead. I didn't say anything.”

“Oh.” Caleb blinked owlishly at her for a moment. “You should definitely talk to her.”

“I promised I'd stay in bed. I need you to do this for me.”

“There are a lot of things I am willing to do for you but confessing your feelings for her after she kissed you and you didn't say anything is not one of them. What I can do is tell her you would like to talk to her.”

“That sounds so ominous. She's going to think I'm mad at her.”

“Then wait for her to come back after she has time to calm down and don't screw it up the second time.”

Before he could dodge out of the way, she threw a biscuit at his face that bounced off the bridge of his nose and dropped to the bed. “You're the worst friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	2. Prompt 2 - Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “What you did was stupid and dangerous and scared the hell out of me.”

The slam of her fist into the face of the wizard sent their head cracking to the side and blood flying out of their broken nose. Three more solid shots to their face was all it took for the wizard to crumple to the ground at her feet. With that danger out of the way, Beau spun around to assess the rest of the bridge. 

Yasha and Fjord had the large behemoth of a man that had nearly thrown Caleb over the side of the bridge pinned against the railing with their blades singing through the air. The thud of bolts into the woman firing arrows in from a distance told her Nott was hidden somewhere taking shots when she could. A dual flare of magic flying across her vision drew her attention to Caleb and Caduceus doing their best to lob in spells from a distance. There was only one person she didn't see among the two groups, which immediately made her blood run cold.

She didn't see any flashes of bright pink magic or hamster unicorns floating around that would mean she'd simply missed Jester. Fear grew in her gut, until a bright blue eagle flew across the bridge to grab one of their opponents attempting to sneak up on Yasha. Her talons loosened their hold once they were over the edge dropping them into the ravine below. Instead of flying back over the safety of the bridge, Jester hovered ten feet away from it with her eagle eyes surveying the fight.

A yell of frustration drew Beau's attention to the archer barely staying on their feet. Before Beau could react, they released the arrow aimed at Jester. It sank into the breast of the eagle that immediately turned back into a tiefling that went plummeting through the air. Even though Beau knew she wouldn't get there in time, she pushed her legs to get her there as quickly as possible. The slash of a blade across her side didn't stop her from reaching the railing to look over the side for Jester.

When she didn't see any sign of her, Beau spun around to look at Caleb, but couldn't get the words out before a sword cut across her shoulder. With a hiss of pain, she dodged out of the way of the next to attacks, then brought out her staff to retaliate. The crack of the staff hitting the side of their head followed by their ribs caused them to take several stumbling steps backwards. A punch to the solar plexus stunned them giving Beau an opening for three more attacks that did enough to knock them unconscious.

Ignoring the pain in her side, Beau moved closer to Caleb, so he'd be able to hear her over the fighting. “Caleb! Can you-”

The screech of an eagle cut off her sentence drawing her attention to the blue bird flying over the railing on the opposite side. Her talons swiped across the chest of one of their opponents leaving them gurgling in their own blood on the ground. As she landed on the ground, a raging Yasha ran along her back and leapt off her to drive her sword into the last one standing. The heavy thud of their body hitting the ground brought an end to the fight.

After putting her staff away, Beau walked over to Jester as she dropped the polymorph form. Without a word, she pulled Jester into a tight hug that the tiefling immediately reciprocated by lifting Beau off her feet. When Beau was set back on the ground, she pulled back to hold Jester's face carefully between her hands.

“What you did was stupid and dangerous and scared the hell out of me. I thought Caleb was going to have to fly down there and find you.”

“Sorry, but it was a pretty good plan. I bet I looked super cool.”

“It was pretty awesome.”

Jester's entire face lit up at the compliment, but Beau only got to appreciate it for a few seconds. While she'd grown used to Jester's casual displays of affection, Beau still found herself caught off guard in moments like this. The press of Jester's lips against hers settled the last of the fear that filled her when she'd been sure Jester plummeted like the others.

“I'm sorry I scared you, Beau. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to be ready in case one of us fell off.”

“It was a smart idea just don't forget to take care of yourself, too. Most of us can take care of ourselves if we fall off a high place.” Beau dipped down to give Jester a quick kiss, then slung her arm across Jester's shoulders. “Let's get off this bridge. These things are the worst.”

“At least no one ran off it on purpose this time.”

“That is a pretty big win for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	3. Prompt 3 - Fjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A stupid(?) prompt: The water has always loved Fjord, but ever since he began following Melora things have gotten a bit... weird? Aka whenever Fjord enters water either aquatic flowers pop up under his armor or hair, the marine life think he's the best thing ever, or the plant life doesn't want him to leave. (Honestly the idea of Melora's blessing taking such a change seems funny to me. If you wanna make it shippy you can, I think it would be cute, I just hope Yasha gets a flower!)

For as long as he could remember, Fjord loved the ocean. The cool water against his skin as he looked out at the vast expanse of possibilities gave him hope as a lonely orphan of something better in his future. Joining the crew of the Tide's Breath had been a dream come true, getting to meet all kinds of new people and spend a majority of his time at sea. After the explosion and his pact with Uk'otoa, the ocean was colder and more sinister. He still loved it, but the sinister unknown hidden beneath the waves weighed on him.

Now, it felt closer to what he remembered as a child, and so much more. With the blessing of the Wildmother, it enveloped him in a comforting embrace as he dove beneath the waves. It called him deeper below the surface to her sunken temple for the answers they sought. Fish swam alongside him and weaved their way between his legs and arms as he dove deeper. As he approached the sea floor, seaweed reached out to greet him by brushing and wrapping around him. When he touched the floor, he looked up to find the others a few hundred feet away giving him the chance to stop and enjoy his surroundings.

A gentle tug against his hair pulled his attention to Yasha standing in front of him with a deep purple flower cupped gently in her hands. It seemed to pulse a low, vibrant light that illuminated the deep red veins hidden within the petals. She carefully tucked it in her bag to press later, then plucked a few more from his hair and armor. Blue, white, green, red, pink, yellow. A variety of types with strangely alien designs compared to what he was used to seeing on land.

“Can I keep these?”

“Of course!” He ran his fingers slowly through his hair in case a few more were still hiding within it. “Did you get them all?”

“No, they keep growing back. These are very beautiful. I've never seen anything like these.”

“I haven't either.”

A gentle poke at the side of his back had him twisting awkwardly to peek over his shoulder at Caleb. His eyes flicked up to meet Fjord, then went back to inspecting something bright crawling up his armor. It didn't have the same glow as the flowers in Yasha's hands, but what little he could see of it still looked foreign.

“It's moss. Blue moss.” Caleb swiped some of it on his finger, then held it up for Fjord to see. “You are beginning to look a bit like a walking botanical garden. It is a good look. You fit right in down here.”

“You think so?”

“I-”

The sudden pause would have been concerning if Caleb's eyes weren't so focused on something on Fjord's hip. His fingers gentled plucked it off to cradle carefully with wide eyes and a heavy release of air. He gently ran a thumb across a petal causing the glow to brighten in response to his touch.

“These look like the flowers my mother would grow in her garden.” The orange flower gave a pulse of light that reminded Fjord of when Caleb wielded fire in his hands. “It's been so long...”

“What are they?”

“Oh, uh, fire lilies. She got the seeds from a traveling merchant when I was young. She loved them.”

“It's very pretty.”

“Ja, can I?”

“Absolutely.”

A small smile graced Caleb's face as he stepped around Fjord to stand next to Yasha-flower held protectively against his chest. “Will you help me with this later?”

Yasha nodded and held out her hands to take the flower and tuck it away with the others she plucked off Fjord. They whispered in hushed voices as they walked to the entrance of the temple. With their eyes no longer on him, Fjord took the opportunity to look down at himself and take in the flora covering him. More of the underwater equivalent of fire lilies decorated the front of his armor along, especially around the left side. Seaweed wrapped around his legs like an extra layer of protection, mushroom-like bulbs decorated his right arm, all sorts of anemone crawled up him in bright patches.

“That's interesting.”

“Is it?” Fjord looked nervously up at Caduceus catching sight of a few fish darting around his head. “Should I be worried?”

“No.”

“Because?”

A smile stretched across Caduceus's face. “They're friends. Just be careful. We might run into some, uh, danger when we're in there. We wouldn't want any of you to get hurt.”

“Thanks. That's real helpful, Caduceus.”

“You're welcome.” After a moment more of smiling at the fish and flora, Caduceus gave a nod to them and followed the others into the temple.

“Guess you're tagging along for the ride.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	4. Prompt 4 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: *throws this prompt through your window* Fjord bakes in the middle of the night whenever he can't sleep, often leaving it out to cool as he goes to bed. Well someone's been stealing them before he can put them away, but he's too embarrassed to ask who is doing it. Well fast forwards and it turns out Caleb's been stealing/hoarding them because he doesn't wanna share. AKA the saying "best way to get a man is through his stomach" works, especially when it's a wizard with no sleep schedule.

He didn't expect to find comfort in baking, but that was exactly what he found a few afternoons into their residence at the Xhorhaus. After poking at him all morning, he gave into Jester's puppy eyes and constant request to help her make cupcakes. Despite her excitement throughout the entire process, there was something relaxing about measuring and mixing the ingredients. The methodical nature let his mind shut off while his body went through the motions.

A few nights later he found himself struggling to calm his mind long enough to let sleep take him, so he slipped out of bed and took a walk around the house. The soft glow filtering through the crack at the bottom of the library gave him pause, but he didn't want to interrupt Caleb's work. Instead, he found himself standing in the middle of the kitchen with his hands on his hips and no clue why he decided to come here of all places. After a moment of indecision, Fjord pulled out the base ingredients for cupcakes. He easily fell into the rhythm of making them and felt completely relaxed by the time he put them in the oven to bake. While he waited, Fjord made a cup of tea that he finished just in time for them to finish.

Unlike the ones he made with Jester, they didn't have the same sweet smell of vanilla and sugary fruits. The cinnamon and nuts were much more to his taste, making it impossible for him to resist tearing off a piece to try. The warmth from being recently removed from the oven settled pleasantly on the tongue and had him yawning before he could even finish one bite. He debated putting them away, then decided leaving them to rest would be for the best. It wasn't like they would get in the way of anyone else before he got up in the morning.

Needless to say, he was surprised to find them all gone in the morning and the dishes he used washed and put away. He looked uncertainly at the other members of the Nein, with the exception of Caleb, sitting at the table, but none of them gave any indication they ate them. Rather than make a big deal out of it, he grabbed a plate of food and joined them at the table. As they were all finishing up breakfast and deciding what they would do for the day, Caleb stumbled into the kitchen. He headed straight for the coffee and downed a cup before pouring another and joining the table.

When his hair got in the way, he let out an annoyed grumble and held a hand out to Beauregard. She flicked a hair tie at his face that he glared at her for but didn't have the energy to complain about. Once his hair was out of the way, he went back to his coffee like the other occupants in the room weren't even there. When he finished that one, he looked significantly less like a shambling zombie and more like himself.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Fjord shifted awkwardly in his seat and cleared his throat. “Not at all. What are your plans for today?”

“I need to pick up new components. You?”

“Oh, I don't have anything that needs to be done.”

“Would you like to join me?”

“Uh, sure. I can do that.”

“Mmm, I'll get dressed.”

“Shouldn't you eat breakfast first?”

“Thank you for the concern,” Caleb rose from his chair with a soft smile on his lips. “but I will be fine. I can pick something up while we're out if it becomes a problem.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I won't be long.”

* * *

The next few times he stress baked in the middle of the night he found the same results in the morning as the first night. Whatever he baked were nowhere to be seen and all the dirty dishes he left behind had been cleaned and returned to their proper place. Each time he considered asking the others whether they took them, his nerves would get the better of him. It wasn't like he minded someone taking them because he never planned on eating what he made, but he still wanted to know.

His desire to know without asking led him to hiding out in the living room after finishing his newest creation. The exhaustion he was used to giving into after baking nearly caused him to fall asleep before he could catch the person in the act. After forcing his eyes open for the fourth time, he caught sight of movement across the room from him. If he weren't practically sleep walking, Caleb probably would have noticed him, but his singular focus kept him moving forward.

Fjord only waited around long enough to hear the sound of dishes being cleaned to confirm his suspicion, then quietly hurried to his room. As the door shut behind him, he paused to contemplate what to do with the new information. The last thing he wanted to do was confront Caleb since he might become so embarrassed, he no longer felt comfortable taking the food. Honestly, it was a comfort to know his stress baking habit could benefit Caleb. The wizard had a concerning habit of becoming so engrossed in his studies he would miss meals. If he could ensure Caleb had a more regular eating schedule, that alone would be worth it.

While he went to bed uncertain how he would handle this new knowledge, he woke from sleep with a clear goal in mind. After a quick breakfast, he headed for the stationary shop Caleb often frequented for his paper and ink needs. It didn't take long to acquire a small leather-bound journal and a few writing utensils to stow in his bag along with some paper and ink for Caleb. His next stop took more time to locate, but it was well worth the search to find a few books that would help him expand his limited baking knowledge. With everything safely tucked away, he returned to the house to set his plan in motion.

Upon arriving, a familiar cloaked figure stood at the front door waiting patiently for someone on the other side to answer. He exchanged a quick greeting with Essek, then opened the door and motioned for him to follow. The lack of immediate bombardment by the others told him the only person still in the house must be hidden away. Instead of knocking on the library door as he normally would, Fjord opened it just a crack to poke his head in, then entered the room when his theory was confirmed.

All it took was a firm shake to the shoulder for Caleb to blink up at him with his eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion. “Fjord? Do you need something?”

“Essek's here to see you.”

“Oh,” Caleb straightened up to peek around Fjord, then gave a little wave when he noticed the man standing there. “I apologize. I must have lost track of time. Thank you, Fjord.”

“It's no trouble. I'll leave the two of you to it. Just let me know if you need anything.”

“That's very kind of you. I think we'll be good.”

“Of course.” He was about to leave when he remembered the paper and ink that could prove useful during his time with Essek. “I almost forgot. I got you something while I was out.”

Curiosity filled Caleb's eyes as he watched Fjord reach into his bag, which turned to disbelief when he handed them over. “You didn't need to do that. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing. I was in the area, so I thought I would grab you a few supplies. It's the least I could do when you're always buying components to take us places and protect us. There's no need for repayment.”

“Thank you.”

“There's no need to thank me.”

* * *

“What are you looking for?”

“A book.”

Beau let out an annoyed groan at his vague answer. “I got that much. What kind of book are you looking for? Did Caleb ask you to find something for him?”

“No.”

“Then what are we looking for?”

“A book on Zemnian baked goods.”

“Why?”

“Because I want a book on Zemnian baked goods. It's really not that complicated.”

“Wait, is this for Jester?”

He paused his search to scan Beau's face for the reason behind her question. “Did Jessie say something about liking Zemnian baked goods?”

“No, but she loves pastries. I don't see why Zemnian pastries would be any less to her taste.”

“I guess, but that's not why I'm looking.”

“Oh, my god.” A devious smile appeared on Beau's face as she glanced over her shoulder for any sign of someone listening in on their conversation. “Do you have a thing for Caleb?”

“What?”

“It totally makes sense. You've been low key watching him the entire time we've been here, and you offered to kill Trent for him. After your fight with Darrow, you immediately asked him for validation. Dude, how long have you been in love with him?”

“I'm not in love with him.”

“Are you sure because it would make a lot of sense?”

“Well, now I'm doubting myself. Either way, it's not the reason. I started stress baking because I found it calmed me and helped me to get sleep on nights when it's hard to come by, but I noticed everything I made would mysteriously disappear by morning. So, I stayed up after baking one night, and I saw it was Caleb doing the swiping, which is good because you know how bad he is at keeping a regular schedule.”

“Let me get this straight. You're buying a book on Zemnian baked good, so you can stress bake Zemnian food because Caleb has been eating what you've baked.”

“When you put it like that...”

“Yeah, you hear how that sounds. You could just ask him what he likes or what he'd like you to make for him, but you're going a very convoluted route to possibly make him happy because you baked something from his childhood. I'm not saying friends can't do that for each other, but it kinda screams I'm super in love with you.”

With a sigh, he rubbed at his forehead to stop the steady ache building. “I just want to do something nice for him to make him feel more... I don't know. It just feels like something simple I could do to make him a little happier.”

“You know, we'll probably need to grab some of the ingredients here. I doubt we'll be able to pick up everything we'll need in Rosohna. The climates and culture are a little different.”

“That's probably a good idea.”

“Yeah, man. I'm full of them. That's why you brought me along.”

“Sure. We'll go with that.”

* * *

The smell from the oven nearly had Fjord drooling in anticipation for the cookies that would soon come out. Despite the recipe claiming them to be a winter holiday treat, they sounded too good for Fjord to pass them up. He only hoped that they would bring back pleasant memories for Caleb and not be a complete disaster instead. Before he could begin to doubt himself again, he busied himself with making tea that would help settle his nerves.

After pouring a cup, he checked on the cookies and was ecstatic to find them finished. He quickly pulled them out, then impatiently waited five minutes for them to cool down enough he wouldn't immediately burn his fingers. With two cookies in hand, he took a seat at the table to enjoy them and the tea. The flavor was different than anything he'd tried before, but it also had a strange familiarity that relaxed him.

As he finished the first cookie, the door to the kitchen opened as an exhausted Caleb wandered through it. He paused for a moment at the sight of Fjord at the table, then continued to the plate of cookies waiting for him. When he got a good look at them, his entire body froze at the sight. It went on so long Fjord began to worry he made a huge mistake, then the sound of crying reached his ears.

Without a second thought, he jumped out of his seat to join Caleb at the counter. His hand hovered uncertainly over Caleb's back, then moved away when Caleb turned to face him. Before he could say anything, Caleb lurched forward to wrap Fjord in a hug that boarded on too tight. After taking a moment to process the sudden hug, his arms wound around Caleb's shoulders in reciprocation.

“Caleb?”

“One moment.” A sniffle against his chest followed by a few deep breaths was all he took before pulling back enough to look Fjord in the eye. “Where did you learn to make these? How did you get what you needed?”

“Rexxentrum. I bought a book and the ingredients. Is that okay?”

“I... Of course. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”

“I really hope I didn't fuck them up.”

Laughter bubbled out of Caleb's throat as he reached for one of the cookies and took a bite without letting Fjord drop his arms to make it easier on him. “These are amazing. You did perfectly.”

“That's good because I would have felt like an asshole if I made you cry, and the cookies turned out bad.”

“You are the furthest thing from an asshole right now. If anyone should feel like an asshole it's me.”

“Why in the world would you be an asshole?”

“I may have been hoarding everything you made because it's all really good and they make for good snacks when I don't have the time to sit down for a proper meal.”

“Are you...” He narrowed his eyes like that would help him discern whether Caleb was telling the truth or not. “I thought you were just eating them. Have you really been hoarding them? Are you a baked goods dragon?”

“Now you're being an asshole.”

“I'm sorry. I'm just surprised. Where are you even hoarding them?”

“That is a secret.”

“Under your bed? Your desk? In a hollowed-out book? I think I deserve to know. I'm the one baking them.”

“There are a few hiding spots. Frumpkin likes to guard them. He knows he'll get a treat for keeping everyone out of them.”

“He eats them?”

“Sometimes. It depends. He has enjoyed everything he has tried.”

“I could probably find cat appropriate treats that I could make for him.”

Caleb paused midchew to stare at Fjord with wide eyes, then leaned forward to pull him into another tight hug. “Thank you, Fjord. You are too kind.”

“No, I'm not, but I am happy to make you whatever you'd like to add to your hoard. Just let me know if you think of something.”

“I am going to regret telling you that.”

“As the person supplying your hoard, I can assure you telling me about it is the best thing you could have done. If you promise to let me have access, obviously.”

“Deal.” Before Fjord could pull back for a handshake to seal the deal, Caleb pushed onto his toes to press a kiss against a cheek. “Also, the cinnamon nut cupcakes you made the first night are my favorite.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	5. Prompt 5 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (Prompt party!) Fjord has been getting a bunch of gifts recently, and at first nobody really minded it. Until they open one up and find it's really expensive cloth (insert affair conspiracy theories here.) Now Caleb seems to be getting twitchy whenever they show up. After a few more packages (and Caleb's twitch almost permanent), they ask Fjord. Turns out its fabric and thread. Fjord's been making a quilt on Jester's suggestion as a way to remember how far they've come and grown.

The first time it happened no one thought anything of the sizable package delivered to the Xhorhaus by a young drow man. Most of them had made various purchases to restock their supplies or upgrade their gear for the next leg of their journey. While Fjord wasn't much of a shopper, he still needed supplies from time to time and a delivery meant less time spent in a shop.

It wasn't until a few more deliveries found their way to the house with Fjord's name scrawled in fancy script on an envelope that questions began to be thrown around. After tossing a few theories around, Beau's curiosity and baiting led to Nott carefully opening the package. A variety of different types and colors of fabric were neatly folded in the box. The contents were more than a little confusing since none of it seemed like the type of thing Fjord would think to purchase for him. He barely bothered to get a new set of clothing for their time spent in Rosohna, what he could possibly need with a bunch of fabric Caleb didn't have the slightest idea.

When Jester threw out the possibility of a secret lover sending him fabulous gifts to show their affection from afar, it felt easy to brush off as an idea without merit. In all their time traveling together, Fjord rarely showed any interest in romantic affairs. Whatever he had with Avantika wasn't even close to the same realm as a sordid affair with some drow noblewoman like Jester suggested.

It wasn't until a few more packages arrived with the same beautiful handwriting that their theories started to get to him. After all, Fjord wasn't an avid shopper and it was highly unlikely living in Rosohna suddenly changed that. On the other hand, he was an incredibly charming and handsome man that could easily win the heart of any he set his heart on. The more the other's painted the possible picture of the affair, the more realistic that possibility became. What wealth individual wouldn't want to shower Fjord in gifts as a show of continued interest?

“Caleb, you look like you're thinking really hard about something.” The concern on Jester's face suddenly switched to excitement as she slammed her hands on the top and leaned across it. “Do you know? Did Fjord tell you? You're super close. I bet he totally told you!”

“He has not told me anything.”

“Is it a secret? He made you promise to keep it a secret, didn't he?”

“He has not told me anything, Jester. I am as much in the dark as you are.”

“You totally do.”

“I don't, but I'm sure if you asked Fjord, he'd be happy to tell you.”

After grabbing what he'd been working on, he disappeared into the library where he wouldn't have to look at evidence of Fjord's exploits. He should have known he would only get a few minutes into his work before someone decided to interrupt him. As she was known to do, Beau entered the library without knocking, then locked the door behind her. Instead of immediately getting to the point, she took her time looking at the titles of the newest editions to the shelves.

When she finally took a seat across from him, she stared directly at him with the same analyzing look she did to those she didn't trust. The urge to hide behind a book hit strong, but he knew better than to take his eyes off her when she was like this. Any move he made would be catalogued and interpreted into whatever equation she was in the middle of working out. With a heavy sigh, she let the face drop and pulled a bottle of alcohol out of her bag.

“If we're going to have this conversation, we're probably going to need this.”

“What conversation?”

“The conversation about you getting twitchier and twitchier every time a new package comes for Fjord. You've started making that face you do when you hear something confusingly offensive. The scrunched up one. I thought about calling you out on it, but I don't think you realize you're doing it.”

“I'm not twitchy.” Before Beau could say anything, he rose to grab two glasses to fill nearly to the brim, then took a huge gulp. “This is something.”

“It's the shit that will get you really fucked up.”

“That's good.”

“Do you, uh, feel the need to get fucked up? No judgement here, but I feel like that proves you've been on edge whenever Fjord's mystery lover comes up.”

“Ja, maybe I prefer not to think about that. Is there a problem with that?”

“I don't think it has to be. It's just your behavior makes it seem like it is. Are you worried that Fjord doesn't know what he's getting into?”

“No, he is an adult. He can make his own decisions regarding his personal life.”

Beau shrugged her shoulders and tapped thoughtfully on the side of her glass. “Doesn't mean we can't worry about his safety. We're in dangerous territory here. It's not crazy to think someone would only take an interest in him because they could get information on us and what we're doing.”

“That could be the case.”

Rather than attempt to continue the conversation, Caleb put all his focus into focusing down the burning alcohol. He ignored the eyes attempted to bore straight into his soul as he refilled his glass before it could hit. The pleasant buzz tingled in his chest, then rose to his head making it easier to forget the gnawing sensation in his gut.

“I know you did fine during the Hour of Honor, but you're still barely a hundred pounds soaking weight. That much alcohol might actually kill you.”

“I'm not that fragile. I've certainly dealt with worse than a strong alcohol and a hangover in the morning.”

“I'm starting to regret suggesting this because you're getting really moody right now. Listen, I can tell this is bothering you. If it's concern for Fjord's well-being, I get it. There are a lot of people here that want us dead. Sneaking out to meet up for an evening fuck could get him killed or one of us. You're not the only one thinking it.”

“That is not at all what I was thinking, but I am now thinking this may be a conversation we all need to have.”

“Well, something's going on in there. If it's not worrying about our safety, what is it? Are you jealous or something?”

“No, why would I be jealous?”

“I don't know. Do you like Fjord?” Suddenly, Beau straightened up with a smile slowly crawling across her face. "Are you jealous of the mysterious lover because you like Fjord?”

“Why would I not like Fjord?”

“You know what I mean!”

Caleb paused to stare at the bookcase behind Beau's head as he considered her question. "Well, I've never thought about it. He has a lot of good qualities. He is kind and caring and a bit of a dumbass sometimes. He makes me laugh and I trust him to have my back. But I think all of those things about you, too, so I'm not sure that says anything.”

“If he came up to you after a battle and asked to kiss you, would you do it?”

“I mean, I think my fear response would be to say yes no matter who asked.”

“Okay, what if he asked you out on a date? Would you say yes?”

“Oh, boy. I don't know. It's been a very long time.”

“When was the last time you went out with someone on a date?”

“Well, I was still in school, so...”

“Okay, that's a lot to unpack. How about the next time the topic comes up you think about why you're feeling so upset by the idea? Then we'll revisit this conversation after that.”

“Now, I'm thinking you're onto something and I'm wishing you hadn't pointed it out.” After a moment of contemplation, he chugged his second glass of alcohol, then slumped in his chair in annoyance. “Can we forget this conversation ever happened? I would like to go back to blissful ignorance.”

“Sorry. Make sure you drink water before you go to bed.”

* * *

A knock at the door immediately drew everyone's attention to it as they watched Nott scurry over to answer it with her mage hand. She grabbed a familiar package off the front step that she tossed at Fjord while the hand shut it behind her. With everyone watching him, Fjord shifted uncomfortably in his seat and did his best to avoid eye contact. When he finally caved from the pressure of having so many eyes on him, he frantically flicked his gaze from one person to the next.

“What? Why are all of you staring?”

“We're not staring. Totally not staring.” Jester shifted excitedly in her seat to get a better look at the package. “What's in it? Did they send you something really special?”

“Who?”

“Your secret lover we all know about.”

“What was that?”

“You don't have to pretend, Fjord! We all know about the affair you're having and how they're always sending you special packages. They have very nice handwriting.”

After taking a moment to digest her words, Fjord let out a heavy groan. “I am not having an affair. All these packages are orders I made to a local shop for fabric I need for a project I'm working on.”

“You're working on a project? What project?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise for the holidays, but I guess I did a pretty poor job of keeping it a secret.”

“We don't know what it is. You can still keep it a secret!”

“Except you're going to try to sneak into my room to figure out what it is, so I'd rather tell you now to avoid you poking around in my things.”

“I wouldn't do that.” When Fjord gave her an unimpressed looked, Jester rolled her eyes at him. “Only a little.”

“Exactly, so there's really no point in keeping it a secret now.”

“If you're sure you want to tell us...”

“It's not that impressive. You mentioned making a quilt to show where we've come and how we've grown. I started making one that I thought we could put in the lounge area, then I figured it might be nice for everyone to have their own.”

“Fjord, that's so nice! I'm sure we're all going to love our quilts. Mine is going straight on my bed.”

“That's real nice, Jester, but this is my first attempt at making quilts. I'm not sure you should get your hopes up. They're not that great.”

“I bet they're wonderful!” Jester smiled brightly at Fjord, completely disarming him for the quick question she threw at him. “Can we see one? Have you finished one? We could look at that one!”

“You've already ruined the surprise of what they are. I think you can wait to see what they look like. The holidays are only a few months away. It's not that long to wait.”

“Fine, I can wait.”

“Thank you, Jester.”

“You're welcome, Fjord.”

With everyone else still distracted by Fjord's admission, the whisper of Beau in his ear surprised him. “Figured it out yet?”

“Fuck you.”

“Is that how you talk to the person that's going to help you get a date for the first time in thirty years?”

“How old do you think I am?”

“I'll meet you in the library tonight. Late night study session, right?”

“I don't like where this is going.”

“Later!”

After giving him an exaggerated wink, Beau grabbed Jester and hurried out of the room before he could stop her. Their exit left him alone with Fjord and the box of fabric and thread sitting in his lap. When he looked up from inspecting the contents, Fjord rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. A few minutes of silence passed, then Fjord cleared his throat.

“Want to see yours?”

“I thought it was a secret.”

“If you don't tell them, I won't.”

The obvious excitement in Fjord's voice had Caleb on his feet with a soft smile. “I won't. It'll be our secret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	6. Prompt 6 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How about a dumb prompt? Caleb, sleep deprived as he is, keeps falling asleep at strange times or in strange places. Well, his insomnia fueled self just found out Fjord makes a great pillow. Fjord just takes it in stride and doesn't see an issue, Caleb has a mild panic because he has a crush and he can't let it happen again. Well it happens again, and again, and again. Fjord just thinks it's funny, Caleb has given up and has accepted that this is his fate now. At least he's sleeping more!

While he never had the most stable sleep schedule, things became drastically worse after his time spend in the sanitarium. When it was just him and Nott, his difficulty sleeping rarely posed a problem since they would spend most of their time pushing their bodies to the brink of exhaustion. Joining the Mighty Nein forced him to stick to a more regular sleep schedule, but the battles they often found themselves in allowed the exhaustion to take him. Nearly dying every other day pushed his body to the point that sleep came to him whether he liked it or not.

The few days they took to recompose themselves in Zadash and Nicodranas caused some of his former insomnia to creep back up, but they never stayed long enough for it to become an issue. It wasn't until they found themselves in Rosohna that his old habits started to impact his sleep schedule once again. Without the pure exhaustion of constant travel and fighting to force his body to shut down, he quickly found himself struggling to sleep regularly. Only a week into living at the Xhorhaus, he found himself crawling up the tree to get himself out of the library for a few hours. Reading turned into sleeping turned into the entire house search top to bottom for him before realizing he was passed out in the branches of the tree.

After the first strange nap, his sleeping habits only spiraled out of control from there. Most of his naps were interrupted by a member of the Mighty Nein shaking him awake or carrying him to a more reasonable napping spot. It reached the point the group started compiling a list of his most used napping places, so they could easily find him when he disappeared. On top of the cabinets in the kitchen, tucked between the couch and the window, underneath the dining room table, dangerously high up in the tree, curled in the corner of the Jacuzzi, hidden between the training equipment. 

He should have expected something to go horribly wrong at some point when he ran his body to the point of collapse before looking for a sleeping spot. Without someone jostling him awake, the grogginess of waking caused him to realize too late where he ended up. The press of his face into something both soft and firm as he grumbled his annoyance of being awake eventually tipped him off to movement from whatever he was on. As he slowly pulled back, he forced open his eyes to find Fjord relaxing against the couch so casually it was like he didn't have a lap full of wizard.

“Sleep well?” While Fjord sounded genuine in his questioning, the panic that immediately set in upon meeting his gaze sent his mind into a panic. “Are you okay? You can go back to sleep if you're still feeling tired. I don't mind.”

“That's... I can't...”

With a mumbled apology, Caleb stumbled off Fjord's lap onto shaking legs that nearly buckled under him. He took several steps back as he pulled his cardigan tightly around him to prevent his emotions from tumbling out. When Fjord stood with a hand extended and concern plainly written on his face, Caleb quickly hightailed it out of the room to hide in the library. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he dropped back against it with a heavy groan.

“Scheiße.”

* * *

Despite promising himself he wouldn't fall asleep on Fjord again, that quickly went out the window as he found himself waking up pressed against him several more times. Every time it happened, he knew he risked Fjord putting together the pieces, but Caleb couldn't seem to stay away. His body decided that Fjord made the perfect napping pillow and couldn't be persuaded otherwise. It also helped that Fjord found Caleb's exhausted determination to use him as a pillow endlessly amusing. Whenever he woke up, Fjord would just smile and make a comment about Caleb becoming more like Frumpkin every day.

He expected the others to poke and prod when they found out, but all of them stayed strangely quiet on the matter. Even when he woke to find the others sitting in other spots around the living room, they didn't say anything about him falling asleep on Fjord or grumpily leaning against him as he listened to the others talk. The only exchange he noticed was a strange look Beau leveled at Fjord that he couldn't quite read. A glance at Fjord didn't help clarify what the look meant, but his calm expression alleviated the anxiety building in his gut. 

With a shrug, he shoved his body into a more comfortable position to rest his head on Fjord's shoulder, then his eyes fall shut once again. Just on the cusp of sleep, the shoulder jostled him until he forced his eyes open to glare at Fjord. The annoyed huff he released brought a soft laugh out of Fjord. When he attempted to resettle, a poke to his side caused him to instinctively wriggle away from the assault.

“What?” While he tried not to sound grumpy, the clear amusement on Fjord's face told him he failed completely at that. “Let me go back to sleep.”

“We're about to have dinner. There's no point going back to sleep.”

Despite being tempted to argue, he simply grumbled a few expletives and slumped against Fjord. With a snap of his fingers, Frumpkin appeared in his lap to give him something to focus on instead of the strong desire to fall back asleep. He ignored the exaggerated sneeze pressed into the top of his head, then moved his head backwards to knock against Fjord's face in retaliation.

“That wasn't very nice.”

“Don't sneeze on me.”

“It's not my fault you brought your cat out.”

“He's not even close to you.”

“But I'm so allergic.”

After making eye contact with Beau, he quickly shifted to dangle Frumpkin by tucking his hands under his front legs in front of Fjord's face. The warlock immediately tried to lean away from his cat but sneezed in the process causing him to land on the floor. Before he could get back up, Caleb stretched across the couch with his cat resting comfortably on his chest. While he gave off the appearance of being annoyed, Fjord simply rose from the floor and pulled a blanket over Caleb and Frumpkin.

“I'm going to help Cad finish up. Don't go back to sleep.”

As soon as Fjord exited the room, Beau moved to sit on his legs with little consideration for whether she hurt him. “Are you good, man?”

“Ja...” With some difficulty, he wriggled out from under her, so he could sit up. “Why do you ask?”

“Just checking. You've been sleeping enough?”

“For the most part.”

“Good. Keep doing that.”

“Keep sleeping? I don't really have much of a choice. I do require sleep.”

Beau narrowed her eyes at him for a second, then relaxed back into the couch with a nod. “Sure. Let me know if something changes.”

“Something like I suddenly don't need sleep anymore?”

“Or anything else important.”

“Okay... Do you need sleep?”

“I'm good. Come on.” Beau slapped his leg as she stood, then held out a hand to help him up. “We should go to dinner before everyone else takes all the good shit.”

“You are very strange.”

“You'll figure it out eventually.”

“That sounds very ominous.”

On their way out the room, Beau threw an arm across his shoulders and pulled him against her side. “Don't worry about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	7. Prompt 7 - Caleb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: You know how Caleb just glared at Darrow during the spa episode? Could we see a bit of that? Either with that scene or snippets of just a jealous Caleb.

When they first met, Caleb would probably have said he didn't mind Darrow. Despite being competition, he was friendly to their new group of assholes trying to have some fun at a festival. He was the kind of person most people would like with his positive attitude and inviting personality. There were plenty of things to like about him, but Caleb was protective of those he cared about. If someone hurt them, he wasn't quick to forgive or forget.

So, Darrow running into them on their way to a relaxing few hours at the spa immediately rubbed Caleb the wrong way. Sure, he was nice, but the defeated look on Fjord's face that Darrow was responsible for was still fresh in Caleb's mind. He remembered Fjord's attempts to downplay it and the sound of his voice as he looked to Caleb for confirmation that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself. 

The logical part of him said none of that was Darrow's fault. He fought by the same rules that Fjord did. It was just a lucky hit that struck Fjord harder than normal because he blinded him that led to his victory. Darrow wasn't truly at fault, but... But he hurt Fjord. Hurt someone he cared about in a way that he knew could last. It was supposed to be a night of release after the stress of the last month. Instead, Fjord had looked defeated and hurt and Darrow was responsible for that.

For that reason, he threw aside logic and let the protective part of him color his view of the man extending an apology to Fjord. Words so nice and pretty and full of sincerity, but he hated every single one. He wanted to pull Fjord away, so he didn't have to be reminded of the hurt. Unfortunately, Fjord was too kind for his own good and was more than willing to not only accept the apology but let him join them as well.

While Caleb held his tongue on the matter, he knew he couldn't completely hide his disdain for Darrow. Every other sentence out of his mouth sent a thrum of annoyance through him that tempted him to do something drastic. As soon as polymorphing him was suggested, he couldn't jump on the idea quick enough. A little payback on Fjord's behalf would be well worth the spell slot. And yet, Fjord simply waved away the suggestion, allowing Darrow to leave without being turned into an animal.

Perhaps the next time they met, things would go differently, but at present he couldn't help sending him a glare on the way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	8. Prompt 8 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Frumpkin reeeally likes Fjord. Fjord is allergic. Frumpkin does not care. Frumpkin has decided that he wants Fjord's attention. Caleb, who has been complaining about his crush to Frumpkin, tries to get him to stop. Cat says no.

“This is the third time today you've done this. It has to stop! He's not going to be able to breath if you keep doing this, or he's going to figure out my feelings for him and I cannot handle that now. Just, please stop annoying Fjord. He is allergic to you. He can't be a nap spot or give you scritches. Leave Fjord alone.” Frumpkin batted at the finger Caleb pointed at his face, then went back to cleaning his paw. “Are you even listening to me? Of course not.”

With a huff of annoyance, Caleb crossed his arms over his chest as Frumpkin hopped off the table to stroll his way over to the cracked door. After taking a moment to rub at his temple, he followed his cat to the training room where he wasn't at all surprised to see Fjord working out with Beau. His attempts to snatch Frumpkin before he reached Fjord fell flat when he shimmied his way beneath Beau on the peak of her push up. It cut off Caleb's path so perfectly his only option was going through Beau to get to him in time to stop the impending disaster.

He watched Frumpkin leap onto Fjord's back, then drape himself around his shoulders like a scarf with detached acceptance. Fjord barely got the chance to register the added weight when the first round of sneezes hit hard. His arms gave out from under him causing his chin to slam against the training mat on his way down. Even with the added padding, pain scrunched up Fjord's face as he rolled onto his back before the next round hit.

If he expected rolling over to dislodge the cat attached to him, he would be greatly disappointed because Frumpkin dug his claws in to remain in his spot. The next round of sneezes were followed by a horrible sniffle and Fjord's watery eyes turning to Caleb. With Beau's laughter adding to his embarrassment, Caleb quickly moved to pull Frumpkin away from Fjord. 

On the first tug, Frumpkin dug in his claw and released an annoyed merp at him. The second one removed him from Fjord despite his obvious desire to remain. As he began to move away from Fjord, he lifted Frumpkin to eye level so he would have no choice except to meet his gaze as he admonished him in Zemnian. When he got far enough away Fjord would no longer be impacted, Caleb turned back to check on the man still wheezing on the floor.

“Are you okay, Fjord?”

A loud sniffle accompanied by three more miserable sneezes rocked through Fjord as he sat up from the floor. “Yep, yeah, definitely okay. Don't know why you'd ask.”

“I'm sorry. He's being stubborn. I keep telling him to leave you alone, but he's choosing to ignore me.”

“Well, I might need to give that stuff Calianna sent me a try. You know, just so he doesn't accidentally kill me in my sleep.”

“That won't happen. I can just-”

“It's no big deal. We'll figure out if it works, like an experiment! It'll be fun.”

“If you're sure...”

“Positive. Don't worry about it. I can handle a cat.”

“You have snot all over your face.” He motioned underneath his own nose.

“See. Handling it!”

“If he becomes a bother, I can send him back home.”

“Frumpkin is the best, right? There's no need for that.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

“I'm not sure why you're thanking me, but you're welcome.”

“Ja, okay. Have fun with your workout!” Before Fjord could say anything else, Caleb hurried out of the training room with Frumpkin in his arms. “I love you, but you are a little asshole sometimes. I'm going to stop letting you spend time with Beauregard. She's rubbing off on you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	9. Prompt 9 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I would love some Empire Sibling Hurt/Comfort? Maybe them being separated from the Clerics, no healing potions and Caleb needing to cauterize the wound?

Pain greeted him upon coming back to consciousness starting with his head, then radiating out to his entire body. Every inch of him hurt, but he didn't let that stop him from forcing his eyes open to investigate his surroundings. The ceiling above him had a crisscross of stone pillars and slabs with bits of rubble raining down in some places. A quick look around the rest of the space made it clear it wasn't a constructed area, but a cave in that was completely cutoff from where he started.

With only a little difficulty, he shakily rose to his feet and flicked out his hand to send his dancing lights around the space. As soon as the light flared out, his eyes scanned for any sign of a potential exit. While he didn't find an exit, a familiar blue caught his attention that immediately got his feet moving. He almost landed flat on his face in the process of making his way over to a still unconscious Beau.

After dropping to his knees next to her, he carefully ran his hands over her body to assess the damage. When a sticky substance met his fingers, Caleb quickly rolled Beau onto her back to check the damage. A deep wound carved into her side still bleeding profusely greeted him upon flipping her. 

He quickly dug through his bag for anything that might stop the bleeding, but all he found was a bandage roll that wouldn't be of much use if he didn't stop the bleeding first. As he cursed his lack of health potions, he readjusted his position to give him the best view possible of her side. Carefully, he produced flame in one hand, then placed the other on her abdomen to stabilize the area. The instant the flame made contact with the wound it hissed out of existence leaving most of the wound cauterized. On the next pass to finish the job, the sounds of Beau wakening filled the otherwise silent space.

With the risk of bleeding out no longer a concern, Caleb shuffled around to pillow Beau's head in his lap. Over the span of five minutes, Beau slowly came to consciousness until her eyes opened with a hiss of pain. When her hand reached for the injury, he quickly caught it out of the air to prevent her from accidentally making it worse. Instead of fighting against his grip, her arm went slack and her face scrunches up in pain.

“Stay still. You are badly wounded. I cauterized the wound, so you are no longer in danger of bleeding out.”

“Is that why it burns?”

“There isn't much at our disposal. If we can get you up, I can wrap it.”

After taking several deep breaths, Beau gritted her teeth in determination. “Help me.”

While it took some time to accomplish, they eventually managed to get her upright and stable enough for Caleb to wind the bandage around her waist. Once he secured the bandage, it didn't take much to convince her to lean against him for support. Even though he knew it might upset her, Caleb pushed her hair out of her face finding her forehead to be drenched in sweat in the process. He could have easily written it off as a result of battle, but the shiver that ran through told him otherwise.

“How do you feel?”

Several shaky breaths later, Beau forced out a pained response. “Cold, lightheaded, nauseous. Lost a lot of blood.”

“You did. Hopefully, the others find us soon. In the meantime, you should rest.”

“Where are we?”

“I think the floor collapsed, then the pillars and ceiling pinned us in. We are lucky we did not get crushed by them.”

“Then it shouldn't be too difficult to find us, right?”

“It depends on what the rest of the place looks like. They might be stuck in a similar situation.”

“Can't you just turn into an animal that can get us out of here?”

“No, I am tapped for the day. I would need to sleep.”

“Do you think Jester is?”

“Most likely. We might not get out of her until morning.”

“Should we be worried about oxygen or something?”

“I don't think so. It seems like there are some gaps that will let air in. I am more concerned with another collapse, but there is not much we can do about that.”

“Sleep it is.”

“Hold on.” After gently settling Beau on the ground, he removed his spellbook from the holster and prepared to cast the hut. “There is one thing I can do to protect us.”

Ten minutes later, the dome appeared around them giving them some piece of mind that they wouldn't be crushed in the night. With that done, he turned his attention to making Beau as comfortable as possible in their current circumstance. Caleb draped his coat across her like a blanket, then pillowed her head on his legs once again. Drowsy eyes blinked up at him when he moved her, but she didn't complain about the treatment.

“Go to sleep, Beauregard. I'll keep watch.”

“You need sleep.”

“Someone should keep an eye on you.”

“If the others have trouble, you're the only one that can get us out of here in the morning.”

“I will not wake up to you dead in the morning, Beauregard.”

“It's not that bad.” Even without opening her eyes, Beau seemed to know he wasn't pleased with that response. “It isn't. You made sure of that. Sleep so we can get the fuck out of here first thing in the morning.”

“Wake me if it gets bad.”

“I will.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Caleb shifted his position to rest flat on the ground. He slipped an arm under Beau's head and slid it, until it rested against his shoulder. With a grunt, Beau turned on her side to tuck her body completely against him for warmth. Caleb mirrored her position, so he could wrap his other arm around her waist to keep her stable in the night. While she tucked her head beneath his chin, one arm threaded between his arm and his side to grip onto the back of his shirt.

“Thank you, Caleb.”

“I am sorry I couldn't help more. We will get you to a cleric in the morning.”

“Shut up. You did fine. Just go to sleep.”

Before letting his eyes fall shut, Caleb pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Out of all the people to be stuck here with, I am glad it is you.”

“Same. Now, go the fuck to sleep or we'll never get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	10. Prompt 10 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: This prompt came to me at work! M9God!Au where the M9 are gods and their followers (Uka'toa, Melora, Essek, etc) take their place. The M9 haven't met before, but with so many of their people together they're bound to now. So the followers all meet up like in campaign (at least Molly will live here! :')), go on adventures, and talk about gods. Long prompt short: followers meet, gods meet, Caleb gets a crush, and Fjord is just happy Uka'toa made friends! Bonus: Essek trys to gives dating advice.

A sudden gentle sea breeze drew Caleb's attention away from the group sleeping soundly at the base of the mountain. Without bothering to turn around, he held his hand out in invitation for the new arrival to join him. He waited patiently for his companion to say something, but the other seemed content to enjoy the silence for a little while.

The sun was just beginning to break the horizon when something nudged against his arm. “Did you need something?”

“Not really. I just saw you hanging out here and I thought I'd join you. Yours had a bit of a rough day yesterday.”

“Ja, he did. It was a good thing Uk'otoa was around to help. Without that distraction, I am not sure Essek would have made it.”

“I didn't realize you knew his name.”

“I know all their names. Knowledge is one of my things.”

“You and your sister are too knowledgeable for your own good.”

“We would hardly live up to expectations if that were not the case.” After assuring Essek rose safely from sleep, Caleb turned to look directly at Fjord. “Have things been going well for you? I know there has been some trouble brewing in a few of the undersea temples. There has been mention of an old god locked away seeking a return to power. They've managed to find themselves a bit of a cult.”

“A few disturbances, but nothing major. My followers on the sea have done a good job of keeping them at bay, but I am keeping an eye on it.”

“If you need any help, I'm sure they would be more than willing. It wouldn't be the first time their adventures took them on the water.”

“Hopefully, it doesn't come to that.”

Caleb gave a hum of agreement, then flicked his head down to catch Essek looking directly up at him. He rose a hand in greeting that Essek returned before going back to preparing for the long journey ahead of them. When he stole a glance at Fjord, he found the other watching him with a strangely fond expression.

“What?”

“I'm just a little surprised that you're so casual with your interactions. You strike me as the type to be frustratingly cryptic and distant.”

“Should I be offended by that?”

“Of course not! There are plenty of ways to handle followers. All I was trying to say is I didn't expect you to take such a personal touch in your dealings like Jester does.”

“I do when it's necessary.”

“It's necessary with him?”

“No, but I'm fond of him.” Caleb tipped his head back to look at Fjord with a raised eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

“Why would it be?”

“Some don't look kindly on those that get attached. We're supposed to be distant observes that are only to show ourselves when absolutely necessary.”

“When have we ever played by the rules? Our entire group has become more engaged with them than any others before. There's something about them, only time will tell what that is.”

“I think you are right about that. They really are something.”

“At the very least, they've brought all of us together, which is impressive. I, for one, am grateful to them for that.”

“It is nice to have new faces around. I love my sister and Yasha, but it could still be lonely. There is only so much connection one can feel to the people that spend their time worshipping you. They have preconceived notions of who you or need something in particular from you. Few take the time to truly devote themselves to you in a way that makes you feel like something more than what they've narrowed you down to be.”

“I guess it's a little easier for someone that has a more tangible domain. It's a lot easier to connect with sailors and explorers of the seas than something as broad as knowledge and arcana.”

“Maybe.”

A hand gently settled on his shoulder to give a squeeze, then dropped down to rest on his lower back. “My life has become better with all of you in it. I'm grateful to call all of you my friends.”

“The feeling is mutual. I am sure Beauregard and Yasha would agree with me.”

“It's good to hear that. I hope that means you don't mind me dropping in from time to time.”

“As long as you don't mind me doing the same.”

“You're always welcome.”

“That is a very open invitation. Are you sure you want to offer that?”

“Absolutely.”

“I will definitely take you up on that.” A tugging in his gut drew his gaze to Vasselheim long enough to see his attention was needed. “I might even take you up on that soon.”

“Where are you off to?”

“Vasselheim, but I will see you soon.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“For the record, the invitation goes both ways.”

“Is that so?”

After giving Fjord a soft smile, Caleb rose to his feet and gave a flick of his hand. “Bye, Fjord.”

“Goodbye, Caleb.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	11. Prompt 11 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: May I please have more Empire Sib Hurt/comfort? The last was just *chef kiss*

The ghostly white hands that gripped Caleb's arms tightened as a twisted smile stretched across the distorted face of the creature. Their body pulsed with a sickly energy as they leaned down to bring their face level with Caleb's. Despite the fear in his eyes, their grip on him kept Caleb locked in place and helpless to do anything to get the creature away from him. As they drew closer, a strange voice echoed through the cavern that sent a shiver down her spine.

“So much pain and suffering for someone so young. Wouldn't it be easier to let it all go? I could help you with that. It'll only hurt for a moment. Isn't that worth freedom from everything that haunts you?”

Even though he didn't respond, the figure moved a hand to grasp the back of his head and tilted his head back. Their smile disappeared as their mouth opened to reveal a dark void that grew and grew, until their jaw stretched well past where it should. From a distance, Beau could feel the cold radiating off the thing in waves that curled around her and tried to drag her in. She shrugged it off but continued her path straight for the creature pulling Caleb's face closer to the void of their mouth.

Just before they pulled him all the way in, her fist connected with their body and she focused her Ki to stop them. The incorporeal form froze like a ghostly statue that she took three more swings at striking true with each one. Their form weakly flickered from her blows and remained immobile as a wide-eyed Caleb stumbling back out of their grip. After shifting her stance to place her between the two, her next series of attacks landing, until the finally one gave her the opening she needed to end the creature. As her hand busted through the vaporous form, it made contact with something cold that she wrapped her finger around and wrenched out.

A shrill shriek accompanied the removal of the object, then the figure disappeared leaving their group alone in the cavern once more. Her eyes gave a quick scan to assure the other were still safe, then all her attention went to Caleb. The vacant expression and glassy eyes had her moving to completely fill his field of view. After waiting a few moments to see if he noticed her, she began to speak in a low voice.

“Hey, Caleb. Are you with me?” She slowly lifted a hand to rest on his shoulder, but it didn't get a response either. “We should take a rest. I don't know about you, but I'm a little fucked up after that.”

It only took a light hand between the shoulder blades to guide Caleb to the nearest wall, then a press on the shoulder to get him to sit down. While his eyes remained vacant, fingers began to twitch and fuss at his pants giving a small sign he was coming back to himself. With a tired sigh, Beau dropped her head to rest on his shoulder and let her eyes fall shut.

“I'm thinking about dropping by to visit TJ the next time we have a break in the area. I figure he needs someone to teach him real world shit. Plus, it's never too early to learn how to defend yourself. A few lessons would do him some good. I doubt my parents would agree with me, but they hardly go out into the world. Although, it would be kind of cool if you taught him some magic. They would probably flip the fuck out if he suddenly made lights appear or could message them out of nowhere. That might have to wait until he can read. He's too young for that, right? I'm pretty sure he is.”

“Would you sneak me in to teach him?”

Beau pressed her body further into Caleb's side, until he was forced to wrap his arm around her shoulders to prevent it from getting crushed between them. “Obviously. It would ruin the plan if they knew you were teaching him magic shit.”

“Then we should wait until he is older.”

“Think I could sneak him off for a weekend training with the Cobalt Soul as a diversion, then you teach him crazy magic instead?”

“Sneaking him off for an entire weekend would be a bit alarming.”

“I'd tell them about it, but it would be like a... a secret monk training session that they couldn't accompany him on because I only got permission to teach him.”

“Your convoluted lies never cease to amaze me.” A shaky exhale rolled through Caleb's body as he tipped his head to the side to rest on top of hers. “In a few years. When he's a little older. We'll teach him the proper Lionett way of fucking with your parents.”

“We'll make him unstoppable.”

“He will be learning from the best.”

“Empire kids here to fuck the world.”

“Holla.”

A soft elbow to the side brought a low chuckle out of Caleb. “Still no.”

“But imagine if TJ said that to your parents because verbal components are very important to spell casting.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Thank you, Beauregard.”

“Don't mention it, man. We should get moving before more of those things show up.”

“Just a few more minutes.” The slide of his hand into hers to keep him grounded gave her something to squeeze in agreement. “I'll be fine in a few minutes.”

“We got time. We can take it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	12. Prompt 12 - Fjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A weird prompt but... Fjord hasn't used "Greater demon" in a hot second, so when he eventually does he doesn't end up summoning his usual. Instead he gets giant man-eating plants that really dont like anyone but him and Cad. Wildmom just decided to give her new son a big fuckoff pet.

The smear of blood across his face grew more pronounced as he dragged the back of his hand across the cut to clear his vision. With a huff of frustration, he took a moment to survey the rest of the battlefield with what little vision he possessed. All of them looked significantly bloodier than they had when they arrived with several on the verge of collapsing. In the split second of indecision over how to best help, a large claw dug into the front of Caleb's chest causing him to immediately drop.

As the ground around him darkened, Fjord stretched out his hand to call forth the barlgura to aid them in their fight. While he expected the touch of the Wildmother to alter it to fit his domain, he was surprised to see a completely different form sprout from the ground. The giant form appeared to mostly be made of twisting vines that snapped out to attack their enemy. He probably would have missed the giant snapping mouth if it didn't latch onto the creature with bright pink petal-like jaws.

After shaking off his surprise at its sudden appearance, he sprinted over to Caleb and pressed a hand against his chest. The glow of his healing magic flowed through his hand to stitch some of his wounds. With a groan, Caleb opened his eye and accepted the help up to his fit. Caleb leaned heavily against Fjord for support, so he noticed when the wizard went completely still.

“Did you do that, or should we be concerned?”

“It's probably fine.”

“What is it?” Fjord opened his mouth several times, then finally decided to simply shrug his shoulders. “That is comforting. Maybe, moving away would be a good idea.”

The end of Caleb's statement was emphasized by the crack of a vine against the ground next to him that had him stumbling into Fjord to get away from it. As they got further away from it, Fjord noticed other members of the Nein having difficulty with the new arrival. The only one that seemed not in the least bit hindered by their ally was Caduceus. If anything, the plant thing was also focusing on protecting Caduceus.

“I don't think your new friend likes us very much.”

“Yeah, I'm picking up on that. I'm not even sure what it is.”

“I think your patron decided you need a new friend to better fit your new look.” Caleb paused what he was about to say as they both watched the plant creature devour the enemy that had nearly taken Caleb's life. “That is very impressive. Hopefully, it doesn't do that to any of us.”

“That... was not something I was expecting to see today.”

“Remember that time you were nearly eaten by a flower?”

“I'm starting to think the Wildmother has an interesting sense of humor.”

Caleb's laughter was cut off when he began coughing and spit out his blood on the ground. “Perhaps Caduceus should speak to it when we are done here. It might be more friendly to the rest of us next time if we are introduced.”

“We'll see what Caduceus thinks about that. You should probably keep your distance until we're sure it won't try to eat you.”

“It would not be the first time something tried to eat me, but I would prefer not to be.”

“So, maybe, stay here while Caduceus and I get a feel for our new friend.”

“I can do that.” A streak of fire from Caleb's hand flew past the plant creature to strike a humanoid figure attacking Beau, but the reason for the flame didn't seem to matter to the creature. “A little further away might be best.”

While Fjord sent a few eldritch blasts across the way to help with the remaining enemies, Caleb shuffled around him to lean against his back for support instead of his side. “Are you trying to hide from it?”

“Should I just stand in the open and make myself an easy target?”

“Don't worry. I'll protect you.”

“You don't even know what it is.”

“I-” Fjord let the rest of the sentence die at the sight of it picking up three of the humanoid figures and dropping them one by one into its mouth. “Hiding is probably a good idea.”

“I will give it to the Wildmother. That is significantly more terrifying than the barlgura.”

“Yes, it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	13. Prompt 13 - Fjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord is a Eldritch sea horror who has a really long fuse before getting mad. He's fine with getting horribly hurt/dead but if it's his family, then someone is getting ate. The end.

“You think you can stop us just because you're gods! What have you done for us? We have thrived without any of your input. We don't need you and we aren't scared of you. There's nothing you can do to stop us. We'll go through you if we have to!”

With a smile, Jester skipped forward with a flick of her tail and clapped her hands together. “Our job is to protect you from places like this. We're doing exactly what we're supposed to as the guardians of this temple. It's not safe to mess with things you don't understand after all! I'm sure we could find somewhere much more interest for you to be.”

As her hand waved through the air, bright pink and purple magic shimmered into existence between her clawed fingers. The glow of her curved horns and sprawling tattoos pulsed with energy exuded deeper magical power. Even though he couldn't see it, he could imagine her dark purple eyes changing to pink and the exposed fangs as her smile grew wider.

“We can take you anywhere in the world. All you have to do is ask nicely and we can forget all about this.”

The man tightened his hand on his gun, then took a step forward. “We are exactly where we are supposed to be. We were sent here for a purpose. Whether you like it or not, we are going to do what we were sent here to do.”

“Unfortunately, we can't allow that to happen. You'll just have to go back and tell them you couldn't do it!”

“Or what?”

While she didn't need the help, the exhaustion of dealing with them had Fjord stepping forward to tower over the small group. The tentacles on his back flared out to make his presences even more threatening. Most of them instinctively took a few steps back, but the leader remained rooted to the spot with his chin lifted in defiance. Fjord pulled his lips back in a snarl to expose his shark-like teeth and let his extra eyes pop open.

“I grow tired of your presence. There will be no entering the temple. This place is not for you. Leave now.”

“Or what?”

“I will make you.”

“Oh, yeah? What are you going to do? Call on you army of freaks? Bring the ocean down upon us? If you could do that, you would have done it already. All you gods are is talk.”

“If you are so sure about that, you should do something about it because I will not move from this spot or let you go around me.”

“Fine.”

The gun whipped up to point at the middle of his forehead, then fired. At the moment of impact, pain exploded from the area, but he didn't so much as flinch in response. Ichor poured out the new hole in his skull and down his face, until it dripped off his chin to the floor. He waited for the next shot to hit him or for them to suddenly flee as they finally came to their senses.

If he knew the man would think to aim at Jester instead, he would have ripped his head from his body before he got the chance. When a surprised yelp of pain came from behind him, his vision went red in rage. The stretch of his body growing in size rippled through him as his tentacles lashed out to grab the people behind the leader by the throat. Before he could take even a step back, he grabbed the last one by the top of his head and dug his claws into the fragile skin.

As the gasping breath of the others went silent and their bodies limp, their bodies fell one by one to the ground. He then pulled them back to wrapped around each of the leader's limbs in a bruising hold. When they began to tighten, his struggling picked up to the point he was driving Fjord's claws deeper into his skin.

“Please, please, please. Don't.”

“You had your choice and you picked poorly. Now, you suffer the consequences of your actions. Perhaps, you will learn your lesson before your next life. If not, we might find ourselves here again.”

The next time he opened his mouth to beg, Fjord ripped an arm from its socket and carelessly flung it away. His whimper of pain following his scream earned the removal of a leg that slammed into the ground from the force. He waited patiently for the begging to begin again before tearing off the second leg. Rather than wait on the last, he pulled off the remaining limb without waiting for his scream to end.

“It's a wonder you are still alive. As tempting as it is to leave you to suffer, I don't like to leave loose ends.” While the man screamed in pain, Fjord wrapped his tentacles around his body and tugged down, until the head separated from the torso. “Disgusting. At least Caduceus will have something fun to do.”

“I could have taken care of them myself.”

“I know.”

“The others are going to have a lot of questions, and that is going to take a lot of cleaning.”

With a heavy sigh, his body reduced to his normal size and his tentacles shrank back in. “I know, Jessie. We should go tell them.”

“You might want to clean off first. That's a lot of blood!”

“Yeah, I'll do that. Want to keep an eye out for any others that might have been with them?”

“Boring, but fine. Don't take too long! I can't wait to hear what the others have to say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	14. Prompt 14 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire siblings, hurt/comfort, Beau hiding injuries?

The pounding in her head worsened with every step she took, but she gritted her teeth together and kept moving. She couldn't let the others down by giving into weakness so close to their goal. A few more hours and they would bed down for the night and she could sleep it off. All she had to do was keep her eyes focused on her destination and she wouldn't be tempted to give in.

Between one step and the next, a hand landed on her shoulder that felt like the weight of the world suddenly slammed into her. Her body went sprawling to the ground as her weight unexpectedly shifted to one side. While she struggled to catch her breath, arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a warm body. When she tried to get back to her feet, the arms tightened to restrain her against their chest.

“We need to go.”

“Stop this, Beauregard. I will not see you run yourself into the ground.”

“I'm fine.”

“You are not fine. You have not been fine since that battle ended. You are hurting and you are making it worse by not admitting it. Do you really think I could stop you if you were fine? For the love of Ioun, stop this.”

“We have to get there.”

With a huff of frustration, Caleb shifted them around until he could pull her arm across his shoulder. He let out a grunt from the strain of getting them both to their feet and shifted most of her wait onto him. The first few steps were a little shaky, but Caleb got into a rhythm that pushed them forward without fear of collapsing.

“You can't keep this up.”

“Maybe, but it's better than you killing yourself in the attempt. Just hold on”

“I can do it.” When he least expected it, she pulled out of his arms and took several steps forward before losing her balance. “I can do this.”

“Beauregard,” Rough hands guided her head up, so she was forced to look Caleb in the eyes. “I will not stand by and let you do this to yourself. Please, just trust me to do this for you.”

She squeezed her eyes shut as she held back the vomit welling up in her throat, then took several deep breaths when the feeling passed. After a few more moments of collecting herself, Beau reached out a hand to grab Caleb's arm. Rather than risk throwing up, she gave a nod of agreement. Unless his previous attempt, Caleb managed to get her on his back before standing and continuing forward.

Sweat soaked through his clothes from the exertion, but Caleb never slowed his pace as he pressed forward. When the cottage came into view, Beau let out a sigh of relief and let her eyes slide shut. A gentle bump kept her from letting sleep overtake her like she so desperately wanted it to.

“Stay awake. We're almost there. Jester or Caduceus should take a look at you.”

“We're safe now.”

“Awake, Beauregard. Just a little longer.”

Before she could argue, light flooded across them as the door was flung open by Jester. “There you two are. You were supposed to get her first.”

“A little help here.”

“Beau?”

The concern in Jester's voice brought other familiar faces to the door on her rush over to them. A hand pressed against her forward head, then pressed a wave of magic through her that did little to stop the pain. Jester huffed in frustration but didn't let that stop her from sending another rush of magic. While it didn't immediately stop it, Beau could feel it slowly lessening.

“Thanks, Jessie.”

“Need another?”

“No, I'm good.”

“Are you sure? Because I can do it again.”

“It's going away. Sleep.”

Without another word, Caleb weaved through the crowd in the doorway to carefully deposit her on the couch. After pulling a blanket over her, he snapped Frumpkin into existence on her abdomen and dropped down to lean against the couch. When he began to dip his head down to slot between his drawn-up knees, her hand lifted from Frumpkin's back to plop on top of his head. Instead of continuing down, he let his head fall back so he could look at her.

“Did you need something?”

“Thanks.”

“Sleep, Beauregard. You can thank me in the morning.”

While she would normally argue, the exhaustion from early won out as her eyes fell shut and her fingers tightened in Caleb's hair. She tightened her hold when he tried to untangle her fingers from his hair, earning her an exasperated sigh. After adjusting into a different position, an arm fell across her body to pet Frumpkin. With a yawn, she curled closer to Caleb and let sleep finally take her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	15. Prompt 15 - Empire Siblings (Widofjord/Beauyaster)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I'm surprised nobody has thrown this idea at you yet... Empire Sibs being disasters and talking about their crushes like it's a 80/90's movie sleepover. Or complain about all the attempts they've tried and failed in an effort to get a date, before deciding they'll help each other. (And try and fail. Or maybe succeed!)

“Can you pass me the other one?” After a moment of considering the ramifications of ignoring Beau, he leaned forward to grab the bag of chocolate off the table and threw it at her. “Dick.”

“It's not fair how attractive they are.”

“Did you see the picture?”

“They look like the perfect couple.”

“Don't remind me.”

“At least you still have Yasha. She can hold you in her strong arms and comfort you.”

“She probably thinks I'm an idiot now. I couldn't string two words together when I tried to ask Jester out.”

Caleb snorted as he shoveled ice cream into his mouth. “She will understand. You will tell her how badly it went, and she'll tell you she wouldn't have done any better and you shouldn't worry about it because she's not even available. She's dating a handsome man that's smart and kind and strong.”

“Fjord is a dumbass.”

“Not all the time. We've had several conversations about magic that I could never have with a complete dumbass.”

“He is whenever we hang out.”

“That's because when the two of you get together there suddenly becomes only one brain cell between the two of you. I thought I would have to drive you both to the hospital the last time you got drunk together.”

“Yeah, that was a good night.” The thunk of Beau's phone falling against her chest as she let out a groan and pushed her head back against the arm of the couch covered the sound of Molly Ringwald in the background. “They really do look perfect together. I'm sure she brings him home to her mom and Marion just loves him and thinks he's perfect for her.”

“What parent wouldn't?”

“The weird thing is I could have sworn that Fjord was interested in you. He asks about you all the time. I swear the first thing out of his mouth whenever I see him is a question about how you're doing or what you've been up to. If you didn't ask him out, I would have told him to hurry up and do it.”

“Luckily, I never had a chance in the first place because I already made a fool out of myself enough as it is and it would have felt worse if I actually had a chance of him saying yes.”

“Fjord probably has no idea you even tried.”

With a sigh, Caleb pressed the heart on Jester's most recent photo of Fjord leaning against a railing with a beer in hand and his dark hair billowing in the wind. “Hopefully. I would hate for our friendship to be awkward because I tries to ask out someone that's already in a happy relationship.”

“We can find you someone else! What about that hot guy that always stops by the library to talk to you about magic? He's definitely interested in you.”

“The only thing I know about him is that he has an interest in magic. That's not a good basis for a relationship.”

“That's what dating is for. You get to know someone and figure out where you're interested in having something deeper.”

“I just...”

“Yeah, I know. Instead of a date, it could be two friends trying to get to know each other better. I could come with you if it would make you feel more comfortable.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Okay.”

After tossing the bag of chocolates back on the table, Beau moved from her position leaning against the side of the couch to sprawling out on top of him. It only took a few elbows to his ribs for Beau to find a comfortable position with the side of her face smashed against his chest. While it wasn't the best position for him, he simply wrapped an arm around her waist and turned his head to watch the movie.

They were only a few minutes into returning their attention to The Breakfast Club when Beau's phone vibrated against his chest. Her surprised gasp was followed by Beau scrambling to sit up with her fingers typing rapidly against the screen. As he struggled to get his air back in his lungs, Caleb pushed up to peek over Beau's shoulder at her phone. She quickly pulled her phone away and held up a hand to stop him.

“What is it?”

Beau took her time to finish what she was doing, then put her phone down and looked him straight in the eye. “Jessie just texted me to ask if you were interested in Fjord because he wants to ask you out, but he's too nervous to do it.”

“I... What?”

“We are getting you a boyfriend.”

“But Fjord...” While she could have stopped him, Beau let him snatch her phone and look at the series of texts between Jester and Beau. “What am I supposed to do? I made an idiot of myself. I'll do the same thing if he tries to do something.”

“All you need to do is agree when he asks.”

“Right, but what about you?”

“I'm not interested in Fjord.”

He smacked her lightly on the arm with her phone, then handed it over to her. “This means he's not dating Jester, which means you still have a chance. We need to figure out how you're going to ask her out.”

“One step at a time. First, we get you in a situation for Fjord to ask you on a date, then we figure out how I ask out Jester.”

“Is she going to help with that?”

“Of course. Someone has to be responsible for wrangling Fjord. Let us worry about the details. You just make sure to say yes when he asks.”

“I can do that.”

While Beau went back to typing away on her phone, Caleb turned his attention to the television to distract him from the emotions welling up in his chest. The teens dancing on the screen were enough to prevent his mind and heart from going a million miles an hour. That didn't stop him from picking nervously at the hem of his pants and shuffling every few seconds in his sleep. When the urge to steal a glance at Beau grew too strong, he reached forward to grab a bag of gummy bears and focused on picking out his favorite flavors.

“Put on the dark purple cardigan that Fjord loves on you. He's about to pull a Say Anything on you.”

“What?”

“Cardigan, now. Let's go!”

When Beau forced him off the couch, Caleb barely managed to not completely lose his balance. “This is not how I expected this evening to go. I bought five gallons of ice cream.”

“Now, we'll be eating it to celebrate.”

“After we figure out how you'll ask Jester out.”

“While we figure out how I'll ask Jester out. You, me and your boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	16. Prompt 16 - Empire Siblings (Widofjord/Beauyaster)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (God this prompt is so duuuumb) Modern!au where Caleb gets dragged to a new bakery/cafe by Beau. The guise of it being for studying is a LIE and instead it's used to sigh dreamily over the attractive workers. Said workers are just surprised they keep coming back on the regular. Bonus: Fjord makes really good coffee. Jester and Yasha keep eating the sweets when nobody looks. Cad gives advice on the cups.

“What are we doing here?” When Beau didn't immediately answer, Caleb came to an immediate halt in the middle of the sidewalk. “Beauregard, this is not the Archive.”

“No, this is a new bakery that I want to try.”

“You told me we were going to the Archive to study. Why didn't you tell me we were going to a bakery?”

“Because you would have told me you didn't want to come. Believe it or not, we don't need to go to the Archive to study. We can drink coffee and eat pastries and study here. It can be a relaxing study session without Zeenoth staring over our shoulders the entire time.”

“You could have told me.”

After dramatically rolling her eyes at him, Beau grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the entrance of the shop. When the door opened, several bells placed on it began ringing wildly signaling their arrival to the entire shop. The few people in the shop didn't bother to look up at the sound, but everyone behind the counter did. A blue tiefling waved wildly at them, nearly knocking over a container of utensils.

“Hello, I'm Jester! Welcome to The Lavish Chateau. How can we serve you today?”

“This is our first-time in. What do you recommend?”

While Beau hung onto every word Jester said, Caleb let his eyes wander around the small space to take it all in. Everything was beautifully decorated with flowers and moss and other greenery hanging around the space and a hand painted mural on one wall. Even though he knew Beau was certainly lying to him about studying here, the place did have a inviting feel that he could see himself enjoying as he read a book. The chairs all looked comfortable and the table had plenty of space to spread out books and notebooks and pens.

After taking in the entire space, he turned his attention back to the counter, so he could check the menu. He was surprised to find three more people working behind the counter: a muscular woman, a half-orc and a firbolg. As the half-orc turned with a cup of coffee in hand, his yellow eyes flicked over to his for a moment. The soft smile that crossed his face had Caleb fighting off a blush as he snapped his head to focus on Jester.

By the time they finally put in their order, his eyes drifted to the half-orc, Fjord according to the nametag, several more times. He quickly offered to grab the tray of pastries and find a table while Beau waited for their coffees. While he tried not to be too obvious, Caleb scouted the room for the best location for both of them to see the counter. Once he found the perfect spot, he gave himself the best view of the barista and tried not to blatantly stare at him.

As soon as Beau sat down, he snatched his cup from her hands and glared at her. “You knew.”

“Knew what?”

“You knew about them.”

“I still don't know what you're talking about.”

“Jester? The other one?” He looked pointedly at the two women conversing behind the counter, then back at Beau. "You knew before we came in here! This was never about studying at all. This was always the plan. You're the worst. Did you know about him?”

“His name is Fjord.”

“I know his name is Fjord. Why would you do this to me?”

“Why would I take you to a nice place with a cute barista you might be interested in? I don't know. Maybe, I want you to be happy and I thought he might be able to help with that.”

“I don't need to date someone to be happy.”

“I know that! It's just... Things with Essek didn't end horribly, but I know you decided to focus on your studies for a while. It's been six months since then. Why not start looking at the possibilities?”

For a moment, he looked down at his cup to think, only to pause at a message scribbled on the side of it. “I suppose it couldn't hurt to look. He is very handsome.”

“What do you say we make this a weekly trip? It can get us out of the library for a few hours. There's plenty of space for you to work. Come on, Caleb.”

“Once a week doesn't sound so bad.”

“That's the spirit.”

* * *

Despite the late hour, Caleb finished off the last of his coffee, so he could focus on the dry text he needed to read by the end of the week. His pages and pages of notes littered the table around him along with highlighters and various colored pens. Several hours ago, his hair had gone from a loose ponytail to a messy bun and his cardigan ended up flung over the back of the chair. From the outside, he probably looked like an absolute mess, but he couldn't be bothered to care. 

He was in the middle of jotting down notes when a shadow fell across his table that caused him to pause in surprise. A hand grabbed his empty coffee mug, then replaced it with a fresh cup. He immediately looked up to see Fjord preparing to move onto the next table, until he noticed Caleb's eyes on him. After shifting the dirty dishes container into a more comfortable position on his hip, Fjord gave him a soft smile.

“Need something?”

“I-” To stop himself from sounding like a bumbling idiot, Caleb cleared his throat like he got something stuck in it. “I think you got the wrong table. I didn't order that.”

“It's on the house. You look like you could use it.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.”

“It's not a big deal. We're not exactly drowning in customers at the moment.”

A quick glance around the room proved him to be the only occupied table and a look at the clock behind the counter told him just why that was. “I'm so sorry. I didn't think it was that late. Let me just-”

Before he could hurriedly start shoveling papers into his bag, a large hand settled on his forearm to stop him. Once Fjord seemed sure he wouldn't start again as soon as he let go, he held up one finger to signal Caleb to wait. He quickly cleaned off all the table and drop the container on the counter, then returned with a cup in hand. Fjord settled himself in the seat across from Caleb and took a sip of his drink.

“I don't think I've ever seen someone get so engrossed in a book. I'm guessing this isn't just for fun.”

“No, it's for a class.”

“What kind of class requires that?” Fjord motioned uncertainly at all the drawings and runes among his notes. “What do you study?”

“Arcana. This is all magical theory and recognizing the school of spells by the bases of their runic symbology. It's helpful in situations when you don't know the exact spell, but the intention of it could be gleaned by determining the school it derives from. I-sorry. I get a bit carried away.”

“There's no need to apologize. I asked, and I'm interested in the answer. It's always nice to see someone so passionate about their interests.”

“That's a very dangerous thing to say to me. Beauregard always has to remind me when I'm going on a tangent that most people won't understand or care about.”

“I was surprised to see she wasn't with you today. Honestly, I didn't think the two of you were ever apart.”

Warmth filled his cheeks as a blush spread across them. “We have an agreement to come here once a week to study, but she's busy tonight with a private lesson and I didn't want to spend all day in our apartment. I thought I'd come here because I like being here. It's nice and relaxing.”

“Well, I'm glad you can come here to study. Jessie and Cad wanted the space to be as homey and inviting as possible, but they weren't sure they succeeded.”

“This place is more homey than our apartment. Beauregard and I bought a bunch of cheap furniture when we moved in and haven't bothered to fit it all together in a way that makes sense.”

“If you mentioned that to Jessie, she'd offer to play interior designer for you. She loves decorating. She's already made plans for Halloween and it's barely September.”

“Halloween is the best holiday, especially to decorate for. Last year, I did some magical decorating at the orphanage on Willowcrest to liven up the place a little.”

“That's amazing.”

“It's not that amazing. I tutor a few of the kids there and I just wanted them to have something nice. Costumes were a little out of my wheelhouse, but I knew I could do some nice decorating.”

“Believe me when I say, that really is amazing. Also, don't mention that around Jester if you don't want to get roped into her planning.”

“That... wouldn't be so bad. Beauregard is always telling me I should try to expand my horizons and make new friends. I could help with decorating if Jester wanted some.”

“Mention that the next time you come in. You'll make her day.”

“I can do that.” Caleb tore his eyes away from Fjord to grab his coffee and take a long drink from it. “Are you sure you don't mind me staying so late? I'm sure you'd rather be at home.”

“We don't close until midnight, so I still have forty-five minutes left for my shift.”

“Really?”

“We cater to the early morning crowd and the late crowd. People need coffee at all hours of the day and we're happy to provide.”

“I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I'm a bit of an insomniac and coffee or tea tends to be my go-to when I can't sleep.”

“We're always happy to see you.”

“Oh, that's...”

When no words came to mind, Caleb immediately brought up his coffee to chug the rest of it, so he wouldn't have to continue speaking. As he lowered the mug, the amusement on Fjord's face caused the blush that had been fading to flare once more. He set the mug back on the table, then dropped his hands in his lap to keep his awkward fiddling out of sight.

“Thank you for the coffee and company, but I should probably go. I have an early class tomorrow.”

“Do you want another one to-go?”

“I don't need another one. It's fine.”

“One more it is.”

Before Caleb could argue, Fjord headed behind the counter to make him another coffee. After putting everything away in his bag and putting his cardigan back on, he quietly walked over to the counter. As soon as he was sure Fjord wouldn't turn around, Caleb shoved a twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar to cover the two coffees. His hand was just coming out of the jar when Fjord spun around to grab something out of the display case. It quickly began evident he planned on sending him home with it, so Caleb placed another five in the jar once his back was turned to finish the coffee.

“Here you go.” Once he passed over both items, Fjord leaned against the top of the case. “To be clear, the phone number on the cup is for you. I'm not great with advice like Deuces is, but I can advise you to use that number to contact me if you're interested in getting to know each other better.”

“I can do that.”

“Good.”

“Ja, very good.”

“And this,” Fjord passed over a folded-up piece of paper that Caleb almost dropped because of his shaking hands. “is for your friend. Courtesy of Jester and Yasha. Same advice applies to her.”

“I'll let her know.”

“Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you.”

“You get off at midnight?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Without turning around, Caleb began walking backwards toward the door, nearly knocking over a table when he bumped into it. The smile on Fjord's face grew a little wider and his eyes sparkled in amusement. When his back hit the door, the chimes at the top of it went off seemingly louder than they normally did. He did the best wave he could with both hands full, then stumbling out of the door as Fjord waved back.

As soon as he got out of sight of The Lavish Chateau, Caleb carefully put the pastry bag in one of his cardigan pockets. With his hand shaking so badly, his phone barely escaped a long drop to the sidewalk. It took longer than normal to accomplish, but he eventually pulled up Beau's contact and pressed the call button. The wait for her to answer the phone felt longer than normal with his nerves so charged.

“Where are you?”

“Fjord gave me his number.”

A long pause greeted him followed by rapid typing. “I'm ordering from that Zemnian place you like to celebrate. Thank Ioun they're a twenty-four-hour restaurant. What do you want?”

“You got numbers from Jester and Yasha. He said you should use them.”

“What?”

“They gave you their numbers."

“Zemnian food and the good wine. You can thank me later for making The Lavish Chateau our study spot.”

“We barely study when we're there.”

“And look where it got us! I'll order your usual. Hurry up and get here or I'll start drinking without you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	17. Prompt 17 - Beau (Widofjord/Hinted Beauyasha)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The mighty nein play spin the bottle/truth or dare, but over half of them are drunk so it's more like "spin-this-knife-and-if-someone-gets-stabbed-that's-a-super-dare". If a kiss dare happens though and it just devolves into a makeout, the others just don't care and keep playing. Summary: the Drunk Nein are 80% stupid, 10% affection, 5% cuddles, 5% nerd, and -100% impulse control.

Beau lost count of how many shots she had after ten, but it was more than enough for her to think spinning the Dagger of Denial instead of one of their precious bottles of alcohol qualified as a good idea. Despite Caduceus's attempts to dissuade them, their collective drunken minds and Jester's excitement was all it took to spur them on. After the first spin didn't end in bloodshed, the questions and dares started to flow with minimal filters from a majority of them.

Unsurprisingly, dares eventually devolved into the simplest and most potentially embarrassing things they could think of. The first dare that included a kiss ended with Caleb practically in her lap after plopping a kiss on the top of her head and losing his balance in the process. The next few were equally sloppy, and most didn't bother to return to their seat afterwards. They should have expected a pair to eventually lose track of everything else and turn a kiss into making out.

Rather than drag Caleb away from Fjord like she normally would, Beau leaned forward to spin the dagger. When it landed on Veth, an idea came to her quicker than expected considering all the alcohol in her system. With only a little difficulty, Beau pulled the waterskin out of her bag and tossed it into her lap. She looked pointedly to the two lost in their own world, then back at Veth.

“Do it.”

After nearly stumbling into them, Veth managed to scramble onto the chair next to them and prepared to pour the waterskin. As soon as she gave her a thumbs up, the waterskin got upturned over both of their heads. They immediately jumped apart from each other when they registered the water soaking their hair. A yelp of pain from Caleb was followed by a groan from Fjord as their limbs went flying in a whirling mess.

An eruption of laughter filled the room while the two attempted to untangle their limbs and right themselves. Her own laughter caused her to slide sideways across Yasha's lap, but she couldn't be bothered to move from such a comfortable spot. Once she got herself back under control, Beau wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a little wave to a glaring Fjord.

“You should not antagonize them.”

“It's just some fun. No big deal.”

“That's what everyone says, until someone gets stabbed.” Yasha made a vague gesture to the dagger sitting in the middle of their circle, then let her hand fall to rest across Beau's abdomen. “We should let them enjoy their time together.”

“If they wanted to be left alone, they should've gotten a room. It was fair game.”

“Do not be surprised when they get back at you for that.”

“I'd like to see them try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	18. Prompt 18 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Would you mind writing something w widofjord hugs? also all your fics make me :D jvhkjksd

After weaving his way through the crowd, Fjord slid a silver across the bar for a new drink, then gave the bartender a nod of thanks when they passed it over. He leaned casually against the bar to watch the mass of people enjoying the festivities of the coming holiday. While drinking had been going on most of the day, it had picked up as soon as the sun went down, and the music and dancing took over. It didn't take long for their group to end up divided among the activities and frivolities.

As he typically did, Fjord did his best to stay out of the masses of people and observe from a distance. The few times he caught sight of one of the others they quickly disappeared among the crowd. He contented himself to sipping at his drink and letting the party go on around him without any attempt to engage.

With the last of his drink gone, Fjord considered heading back to their inn for the evening to get a good night's sleep. Before he could make up his mind, something bumped into him hard enough he almost dropped his glass. To his surprise, arms wrapped around his waist so tightly he didn't think he'd be able to get them off. The sight of long, red hair and familiar clothing immediately clued him into who decided to cling to him.

“Hey, Caleb. Are you having fun?” A watery sniff came from Caleb as he raised his head to look up at Fjord with red rimmed eyes and a bright red nose. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm really drunk.”

“I can tell. Do you want to tell me why you're upset?”

“I love all of you so much, but I couldn't find any of you. I thought you left.”

“I thought you were with Beau.”

“Yasha asked her to dance and I didn't want to get in the way. Did you know they're in love? Beau let me help her pick out flowers for Yasha, and Yasha asked me to help her get a new journal for Beau. It's so nice to see them both so happy. They deserve to be loved.”

After gently wiping the tear tracks from Caleb's face, Fjord dropped his arms down to return the hug he'd been unexpectedly wrapped up in. “That's really nice. It is nice to see them both happy.”

“Are you happy, Fjord?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?”

“You've been over here by yourself all night instead of joining us. Do you not want to spend time with us?”

“Of course, I do! There's no need to cry.” While he squeezed Caleb against him with one arm, he hurriedly wiped away the tears threatening to with his other. “I promise you I want to spend time with all of you. You all are the only family I've ever had, and I love to spend time with you. The only reason I've been over here is because this is where I'm most comfortable at large festivities like this. I don't like the crowds. That's it.”

“So, you're not going to leave to be a captain on the seas with Beauregard as your first mate and pirate expositor and leave me behind?”

“Where did you get that idea?”

“Beauregard mentioned it and you didn't say no. I know there's no reason for you to stay, but I really want you to.”

To hide the mix of amusement and horror most likely showing on his face, Fjord pressed a kiss to the top of Caleb's head. A pitiful sob rocked through Caleb as he completely melted against Fjord, so their arms were the only thing keeping him upright. With a soft sigh, Fjord pushed Caleb's loose hair out of his face and tilted his head until he was meeting Fjord's gaze.

“There are six reasons for me to stay, and you are one of them. I'm not going anywhere because there's nowhere else I'd rather be. This is my family, and I don't plan on giving that up. Got that?”

“Okay.”

“Okay, Caleb.” Once again, he brushed away Caleb's tears, then ran the sleeve of his shirt underneath Caleb's nose to clear away the snot. “Do you want to go back to the inn? Maybe, get some water and lie down?”

“What about the others?”

“They'll come back when they're ready. Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Can we get funnel cake?”

“If there's still a stand open, we'll definitely get you a funnel cake.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Let's go this way.”

Before he could start guiding Caleb back to their inn, he smashed his face against Fjord's chest and squeezed as much as his skinny arms could. “I love you, Fjord. You're too nice to me and put up with me and I don't know why, but it makes me so happy.”

“There is an entire conversation we need to have about that, but you should be sober for it. So, I'm just going to say I love you, too, and you make me happy. Now, we're going to get you funnel cake and water. Can we do that?”

“Ja, I want to do that.”

“Would it be easier if I carried you?”

“You would do that?”

“Stand up for me.” Fjord crouched down to let Caleb clamber onto his back, then wrapped his hands around Caleb's thighs to help him stay up. “There we go. If you need to throw up, I'd appreciate a warning.”

“Okay.”

“Ready?”

After tucking his face against Fjord's neck, Caleb mumbled into the side of his throat. “Ja.”

“Funnel cakes and water, here we come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	19. Prompt 19 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you'd like, can we please have more Hurt/Comfort Empire Siblings with wounded Beau?

The blow of a blade felt like nothing as horror filled his veins at the sight of Beau falling to the ground at the feet of the knight. Unlike normal, she didn't pop back to her feet to return the blow or spit out a nasty comment. The knight slammed their boot against the top of her chest, then pressed down until a crack filled the air. A cruel smile twisted their lips as they brought their blade down to carve through Beau's exposed abdomen. 

Blood spread rapidly from her body to stain the grass surrounding her in dark red. Her unseeing eyes stared up at the night sky above her. The unnatural stillness only ended when the knight ripped out of her broken form. They wiped the blood on their blade on Beau's pants, then turned to face the charging Yasha.

With them distracted, Caleb sprinted forward to get to Beau, only to get intercepted by a pair of arms wrapping around his waist. He struggled against the hold, but the arms tightened to pull him back against a solid chest. A scream tore from his throat when he couldn't force his way out of their grip.

“Caleb, it's too dangerous. We have to wait.”

“We don't have time!”

“We can't help her if we're all dead. I know you want to get to her. I do too, but we have to be smart about this. Please stop fighting me on this.”

“Let me go, Fjord.”

“Promise me you'll wait, and I will.”

“Let me go!” Before Fjord could start pulling him away, Caleb twisted to slam his elbow hard into his nose. The surprise caused Fjord to loosen just long enough for Caleb to break free and boost his speed to prevent Fjord from catching up. While Fjord yelled out of him, the pounding of blood in his ears drowned the words.

As he reached Beau, he slid to his knees next to her and pulled her limp body against his chest. When a shadow fell over them, he instinctively flicked up a shield spell that deflected the blow heading for his head. Before they could try again, sickly green energy flew from his hand to slam them in the chest. While the magic tore through them, he turned his attention back to the woman in his arms.

He gently brushed the hair out of her face, then pressed a kiss to her forehead as tears began to pour down his cheeks. His shaking fingers gently shut her empty eyes, then tucked her head securely against his chest. As he rose his head, he scanned the battlefield for their enemies, but all he saw was the others heading their direction.

When Caduceus got close enough, he placed a gentle hand on Caleb's shoulder, then knelt next to him on the ground. “We need to lay her down for this.”

After a jerky nod, Caleb carefully lowered her to the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. Without saying a word, Caduceus began working around him to prepare a ritual he knew of, but hadn't yet seen. He snapped Frumpkin into existence, then gently placed him on the ground next to her. Frumpkin curled up next to her with his head resting on her hand. 

“Would you like to go first?” When he struggled to speak, Caduceus looked to Yasha instead. “Would you like to start?”

Their voices faded into the background as he struggled to get his body back under control, so he would be able to speak when the time came. The press of Fjord's hand against his lower back when he took his turn to speak helped ground Caleb. He took a shuttering breath, then let the first words that came to mind fall from his lips.

“I asked you not to go before because I cannot do this-any of this-without you. It is very selfish of me to say this, but I need you to come back. There is still so much good you can do in the world. I need you here. I need you to research with and talk to and fight with over nothing. For so long, I did not think of myself as worthy of any of this, but you taught me better. You made me want to be better. You made me better. Every moment with you makes me better. I thought I would never have another family again. You are my family. I need you. You are fierce and brave and intelligent. There is so much left for you. Please don't go, Beauregard. I love you so much. Please.”

The completion of the spell caused the wind to pick up around them for a few moments, then immediately died down. The leaves and dirt hovered strangely in the air, like they were caught in time. A gasp broke the silence at the same time everything dropped back to the ground and Beau snapped up. Her body titled dangerously to the side, but Caleb caught her before she could tip over.

“Fuck that. I need a nap.” While he wanted to pull her in and squeeze her tight, Caleb kept his hold light and buried his face in her hair as he sobbed in relief. “That's so gross. I'm covered in sweat and blood. It can't smell good.”

Despite her words, Beau returned to hug and leaned her weight into him, until he ended up on his ass with her in his lap. Her hand moved up his back to grip at the back of his clothes so hard he could feel her fingernails biting into his skin. When he lifted his head, Beau tucked her head beneath his chin allowing her tears to soak through the front of his shirt.

“Please, never do that again, Beauregard.”

“Yeah, yeah. Never.”

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then rested his chin on top of it. “Never again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	20. Prompt 20 - Widofjord/Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord/Caleb and Jester/Beau(Yasha?) double date?

“Fjord!” A streak of blue ran the short distance between them to slam hard enough into Fjord's chest that he took several steps back to stay on his feet. “It's so good to see you!”

“It's good to see you, too, Jessie.”

At a much calmer pace, Beau finished the walk over to them, then stopped to give Caleb a once over. When she seemed satisfied enough with what she saw, Beau gave him a friendly punch on the arm. While he rubbed at the spot, she took the opportunity to wrap him up in a hug that he barely got the chance to return. Before she could get far, Caleb threw his arms around her neck to pull her into another that they both sank into.

“How was Rexxentrum?”

Caleb gave a heavy sigh that got a small laugh out of Beau. “Better than last time, but there's still a lot left to do. Hopefully, they can get more progress made before we're next scheduled to visit.”

“Still no plans to move there?”

“I have gotten used to the warm weather here. I do not think I could handle living there all year.”

“It has nothing to do with us living here or Fjord wanting to live near the beach?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” With a small smile, Caleb pulled back to catch Beau's eyes and laughed at her unimpressed expression. “It is good to see you again. A month is too long.”

“Maybe, we'll go with you next time. While you're busy, the rest of us can have a fun vacation.”

“You mean Jester and Fjord can have a vacation. You'll get just as wrapped up in all the bureaucratic nonsense as I do.”

“Why do you think I never come with you? I don't want to get roped into the bullshit.”

“And yet, you are offering to come the next time we go. It sounds like someone is missing digging their nose into other people's business.”

“Only a little.”

As a laugh bubbled out of his chest, a hand landed lightly on the small of his back, then shifted to settle on his hip. “We should head in. Remember how upset you were last time when they gave our table away.”

“That we bullshit, and we all know it. Thirty minutes is fashionably late. They should have held it.”

“The point stands that they didn't do it and I had to deal with the consequences of that.”

Before Fjord could get away from him, Caleb smacked him playfully on the chest and stuck his tongue out at him. After rubbing at his chest with a fake pained expression, he pulled Caleb against his chest to press a kiss to the top of his head. Despite rolling his eyes, Caleb tipped his head back to get a proper kiss that earned him an exaggerated gag from Beau. He flipped her the bird before they separated, then looped his arm through hers as he headed for the restaurant.

They remained arm in arm, until they were seated at their booth. Once Caleb slid into the corner across from Beau, he kicked at her leg under the table and immediately pulled his legs up to avoid retaliation. She kicked out several times before settling on chucking a roll at his face that Fjord snatched out of the air before it could fly over the back of their booth. Before she could reach for another one, Jester grabbed her hand in excitement as she began describing their new house and all the decorating they had planned.

Conversation easily flowed between them while they waited for their waiter to take their order, then picked it back up during the wait for their food. Most of it revolved around catching up on everything they missed and filling them in on their time in Rexxentrum. When their food arrived, the conversation lulled causing nerves to steadily build in his gut. He glanced at Fjord a few times throughout dinner and could see the same nervous excitement reflected in his eyes.

Once they were all finished and their plates taken away, the nerves skyrocketed to the point Caleb had to take Fjord's hand to ground himself. When he gave a hard squeeze, a hand covered his to help calm him, but it didn't help in the least. He squeezed again, then turned to Fjord with a nervous smile. They exchanged a quick kiss, then Caleb turned to the other two to find them equally lost in their own world.

A loud clearing of his throat managed to draw their attention away from each other. “We did have some news we thought best to wait until after dinner to share. It is something we have been considering for quite some time and everything has just... fallen into place.”

“You're really building the suspense here.” Beau leaned her elbows against the table and raised an eyebrow. "This better be good.”

“Fjord and I will be going back to Rexxentrum for a couple days next week.”

“Stop dragging it out. Spill!”

“We are adopting. A little girl. She is amazing and fierce and the two of you are going to get along with her so well. We can't wait for you to meet her.”

As Jester excitedly clapped, Beau's eyes went wide, and she stretched a hand across the table to clamp onto his. “Seriously? Holy shit. That's amazing. You're going to need to renovate that room. It is not fit for a little girl.”

“We thought about that, but we are going to watch for her to help us pick. We want it to be her room.”

“That's... A little girl? Wow. You two are going to be a mess. Don't come crying to us at three in the morning when that happens.”

“Thank you, Beauregard.” He rolled his eyes at her as he settled back against Fjord. “It is a little terrifying, but she is amazing. The first time we met her she blew us away, like when we met each other for the first time. We have been so excited to bring her home. Hopefully, she likes it here.”

“Even if she doesn't, we'll wear her down. We do it with everyone else.”

“I would prefer we did not have to do that with our daughter.”

“How weird is that to say?"

Caleb turned to Fjord with a smile. “It is taking some getting used to, but it has been on our minds. If anything, it still does not feel real. When we bring her home, maybe it will.”

The excitement in Jester's voice filled the entire restaurant as she pulled Beau out of the booth and started to pull Fjord out as well. “Well, this definitely calls for a celebration! Ice cream?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	21. Prompt 21 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb Widogast in "Oh No, He's Hot." And other thrilling tales of "The Gay Panic (featuring Beau.)" And the bestseller "Why Isn't There a Book for This?!?!"

While Caleb wasn't unfamiliar with heading out to a bar on a weekday night, this particular bar wasn't one he'd been to before. If it weren't for Beau, it was very unlikely he would have ever ended up at this establishment. His typical dive bars were a five minute walk from his shitty apartment because he hated driving in the city and knew the prices were cheap. It had taken several hours of wearing him down for him to finally agree to broaden his horizons.

As soon as he walked through the door, he regretted his decision to go somewhere different for drinks. The man that greeted him upon entering looked gorgeous in the low light provided by the strings of them hanging behind the bar. His dark hair with a streak of white was pulled back in a small bun with the side shaved short. The simple t-shirt he wore gripped his muscles in just the right way to accentuate them and his jeans hugged his thigh perfectly. All of that would have been easy to ignore if it weren't for his kind eyes and warm smile.

After staring for much too long, all Caleb managed was an awkward wave before hurrying over to the further table from the bar. He quickly pulled a book out of his bag to hide behind while he waited for Beau to arrive. At any of the bars he normally went to, this plan would have worked out perfectly, but not at this one. A gentle clearing of a throat had him peeking over the top of his book to find the bartender waiting patiently next to his table.

“Hi there. Can I get you something to drink?”

It took him several attempts to get his voice to come out at a volume the bartender would be able to hear him. “Two whiskeys.”

“Any whiskey?”

“Whatever's cheapest.”

“Easy enough. Anything else?” Caleb quickly shook his head no and fought the urge to bring his book up to completely block his face. “I'll get those right out to you.”

“Thanks.”

Once the bartender turned, Caleb immediately brought the book back up to block his face from view. He wanted nothing more than to melt into a puddle out of sheer embarrassment but staring blankly at the pages before him was the best he could do. The book stayed firmly in place when he heard the sound of drinks being placed on the table and footsteps walking away. It wasn't until he heard the stool across from his scrap against the ground that he finally lowered it to the table.

“That was upside down.” Heat rose to his cheeks once more as he looked down to find Beau's words to be true. “Thanks for the drink.”

“This is a disaster. Why are we here? Why did I let you convince me this is a good idea?”

“What are you talking about? This is great. There's no one else here, the drinks are cheap and there's plenty of free parking. What is there to complain about?”

“I walked in here and immediately made a fool out of myself. Have you seen him? He's so-so-so...”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“Out of the two of us, you're supposed to be the charismatic one. Are you telling me you can't handle one hot guy? You talk to Essek all the time.”

“Essek is a friend.”

“A hot friend.”

“But he's not like.” Caleb gestured uncertainly in the direction of the bar, then sank lower in the stool with his arms crossed over his chest. “Someone shouldn't be so attractive and nice and exist in the same spaces I occupy. I have already embarrassed myself so much. Is it asking too much for the ground to open up and eat me?”

“You're very dramatic today.”

“And you are no help, and neither is the library. I have checked before and it was the first time it ever let me down. Why is there no book for this? This would be so much easier if there were a book for this.”

“I know what to do.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, give me five minutes.”

“Wait!”

Before he could grab her wrist to stop her, Beau hopped off her chair and headed straight for the bar. Rather than draw attention to himself by running after her, he pulled up his hoodie and slid as far down in his stool as possible. He flipped his book to the correct direction, then propped it on the table to cover his face. His fingers gripped the book so tight he could see them going white and he could feel nervous sweat building on his brow.

When the stool across from him moved, he immediately dropped the book with the intent of voicing his annoyance. Instead, his words came to a sudden halt at the sight of the bartender sitting casually across from him. The squeak of horror that slipped from his lips got a soft chuckle from the man.

“Beau has been talking about you for weeks now. I thought I would recognize you when you finally decided to drop in, but I was obviously wrong. Also, I get the feeling she didn't tell you she was working tonight.” When Fjord gestured at the full glass sitting in front of him, Caleb whipped his gaze to the bar and glared when Beau waved at him. “There it is. That's more of what I was expecting.”

“We are not related.”

“I don't know. You act a lot like siblings to me and she definitely talks about you like she's a proud sister. Congratulations on getting into that new program. She wouldn't shut up about it last week.”

“That's... embarrassing.”

The smile on Fjord's face grew a little wider as he settled more comfortably back into the school. “It's nice. I've actually been excited to meet you, and you don't disappoint.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“The nerves are cute. Plus, Beau warned me that might happen.”

“She is the worst.”

“Normally, I would agree, but she did give me the chance to get to know you. If you still want to stick around, that is.”

“No.” The surge of confidence kept him from knocking over the entire table as he pushed away from it. “Dinner sounds better. Interested?”

“Very.”

“I know the perfect place. I can drive.”

“Let me get my coat.” After tossing back the whiskey, the man stood. “By the way, I'm Fjord.”

“Caleb.”

“I know. I'll be right back. Don't leave without me.”

“I won't, Fjord.”

“Good.”

As soon as Fjord headed for the backroom, Caleb flipped the bird at the smirking Beauregard behind the counter. She waited for Fjord to be out of view before she returned the middle finger and stuck her tongue out at him. He resisted the urge to make a more vulgar hand motion at her, so he wouldn't run the risk of Fjord seeing it. That didn't stop Beau from making several at him that cut off just in time for Fjord to miss them.

“Ready to go?”

“Absolutely.” When Fjord moved to hold the door open for him, Caleb took the opportunity to throw one more rude gesture at Beau for good measure. “I'm parked right over here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	22. Prompt 22 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: So I really like your fanfics! I just read the prompt ones, and I really loved the one with Fjord as an elderich being and all I can think of is that with Widofjord, so if it is alright to ask, would you write something for that?

“You are covered in blood." Caleb tipped his head to the side and blinked his cat-like eyes at him. “Busy day?”

“Only a little more than normal. What about you?”

“Oh, you know mortals. Always messing with things, they do not understand.”

“Anything fun?”

A swirl of shadow curled around Caleb's shoulder, then settled into the familiar shape of Frumpkin. “Not particularly. It was the typical messes that needed cleaning up. They did not even put up a good fight.”

“Maybe, I could make your day more interesting.”

“How would you do that?”

“A few things come to mind, but it would be easier to show you.”

Caleb flicked a hand out in invitation for Fjord to cross the threshold into his domain as Frumpkin jumped off his shoulder to stalk around the space. He remained in his throne with his legs crossed and one set of nails tapping away on the arm of it. As Fjord drew closer, the tentacles on his back stretched out to drag along the spines of books and the polished desk. A smirk tugged up the corner of Caleb's lips that sent a wave of terrifying excitement through him.

When he stood over Caleb, the glow radiating from the molten cracks in his skin brightened to a vibrant red. Heat radiated from him causing the water to boil around him, but Fjord didn't let that stop him from stepping into his space. His hands gripped the top of the throne as he leaned down to be eye level with Caleb. Tentacles slithered around the side of the throne to trap Caleb where he wanted him.

The heat in Caleb's eyes flared dangerously as time dragged on with no change in position, but Fjord knew Caleb could always outlast him. He let a few more second past just to prove he could, then slammed forward to smash their lips together. A burst of blood exploded in his mouth when he pushed forward to force Caleb to lean back in his throne. Caleb's position remained unchanged, until he placed a hand on Fjord's chest that pushed him back far enough for Caleb to stand.

Despite being shorter in stature, the power he commanded brought Fjord to his knees. Nimble fingers tipped his head back, then danced along his jaw once he looked up at Caleb. Instinctively, his tentacles loosely coiled around Caleb to encourage him to stay where he stood. The fingers gripped his chin in warning as a predatory smile put sharp fangs on displace. His tongue ran along the tip of one while he looked down through beautiful eyelashes at Fjord.

“Is this what you had in mind? I must admit,” His hand drifted to Fjord's hair, then gripped the strand in a tight hold to force his head further back. “I find this much more enjoyable than the rest of my day. It's much more... relaxing.”

“Is this what you want?”

With a low hum, Caleb released his grip and stepped out of Fjord's hold. “What I want is for you to clean yourself up and make yourself presentable for dinner. I had them cook up something special. We'll have a pleasant evening, then we can discuss what comes after.”

“Is that a promise?”

“No, but you aren't one to disappoint me.”

“My goal is to please you.”

“And you are so good at it.” The necklace glinted in the light of Caleb's hand as he unthinkingly tugged on it. “Very good.”

While Caleb continued to play with the necklace, Fjord found his way to his feet and cut the distance between them to cradle Caleb's jaw. Warmth tingled against his lips as they slid lazily across Caleb's in a slow kiss that eased his mind into utter contentment. Before pulling back, Fjord let his razor-sharp carefully play with Caleb's delicate bottom lip.

“Are my clothes still where I left them?”

“Ja. You should probably bring a few more outfits if you are going to be spending so much time here. They have washed them every day this week.”

“I thought you wanted to maintain your space.”

“And look how that has gone.” Despite the stern expression, Fjord could see a hint of humor sparkling in his eyes. “You have a way of getting under my skin.”

“It's only fair when I have you on my mind all the time.”

“Flatterer.”

As Fjord opened his mouth to respond, Caleb spun on his heel and took a seat behind the intricately carved desk. A flick of his hand brought a familiar book, a quill and ink before him that immediately took all his attention. When he didn't immediately move, shadow wound around his ankles, then headed pointedly for the bedroom hidden at the back of the chamber. The temptation to enjoy the view one more time before following Caleb's instruction brought his progress to a momentary halt.

A sudden pause to the scratching of Caleb writing did not give him enough of a warning to not get caught by fiery blue eyes. “I do not like to be kept waiting.”

“Can you blame me?”

“The sooner you get cleaned up, the sooner you can get up close and personal. Is that not more tempting?”

“When you put it that way, it sounds like I'm wasting my time.”

“Well, you know how to change that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	23. Prompt 23 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire Siblings and Feeblemind?

Every punch and kick caused Beau's injuries to tug painfully, but she didn't let that stop her from unloading on the pathetic excuse of a man struggling to stay on his feet. The entire battle her singular focus had been doing everything in her power to keep him locked down. No matter where he went, she followed immediately after him and did her best to stay between him and Caleb. She trusted the rest of the Nein to deal with the other while she put Ikithon in the ground.

In the middle of pulling her arm back for her next series of strikes, his shaking hands lifted to cast a spell that went flying under her raised arm. A yellow toothed grin told her the spell hit the target, but she didn't have the time to consider the implications of that. Her first hit stunned the beaten body allowing her to get three more punches off. As her fist slammed into his temple, his body began to crumple from the stress of her blows. A palm strike to the center of his chest cracked a number of ribs making it easy for her next punch to do significant damage to the organs underneath.

When he could do nothing more than gasp desperately for air and cough up blood, she circled around him to get a secure hold on his head. After turning him to see the broken bodies of his Scourgers around the battlefield, Beau tightened her hold to keep him in place. Without the sounds of battle filling the air, her voice remained low and deadly as she hissed out the final words he would here.

“Is this what you imagined? I hope it was all worth it because you'll be paying for it beyond today.” Before he could gurgle out a response, the snap of his neck breaking echoed across the battlefield.

She pushed the body unceremoniously to the ground to deal with properly later, then looked for Caleb among the few people still standing. With every new person she passed over that wasn't him, the worry gnawing at her gut began to grow. A kneeling figure with their head tucked between their legs had her moving before she could completely process the red hair and wizard's robes. While she planned to drop to her knees next to him, Beau pulled up short when wild eyes looked up at her in fear. Caleb started to scramble backwards, until recognition finally shone in his eyes.

A pathetic whimper fell from his trembling lips as he launched forward to grab onto Beau with shaking hands. He clung so hard to her that she could feel her skin bruising from it, but the fear in his eyes kept her from forcing him to let go. When the nonsensical babbling started, the last spell Ikithon cast clicked in her head.

“Fuck!” Her harsh tone caused Caleb to pull back from her in fear, until she gently placed her hand on his upper arm. “Not you. You're fine. You can't even understand me, but you're fine. We are going to find Jester and Cad. They can help. Just...”

After a moment of indecision, she guided Caleb's hand to her sash and waited patiently for him to catch on that she expected him to hold onto it. Once she was sure he wouldn't immediately release it, all her focus went to locating their two clerics. With the others grouped together, it made it easy for Beau to decide where she would lead the two of them. Despite giving him something with slack, Caleb stuck as close as possible to her on the short walk to join the other. Instead of finding comfort in the familiarity of their group, Caleb shifted behind her and clung to the back of her coat.

The strange behavior immediately drew the others attention, which led to Caleb pressing his face into her spine. She could feel his accelerated breathing, but it didn't reach the levels of a full-blown panic attack. With that small assurance, she turned her attention to the two clerics.

“Ikithon used Feeblemind on him. Please tell me one of you has Greater Restoration prepared.”

Jester shook her head apologetically, then looked to Caduceus who had a small frown on his face. “I did, but I do not have the ability to use it. I need rest.”

“So, he's going to have to deal with this for one night?”

“I am afraid so. We should find a safe place to settle for the evening.”

“Right. Okay.”

Slowly as possible, Beau turned to face Caleb and took both his hands in hers. When his wide eyes stared at her, Beau gave a shake of her head and lightly squeezed his hands. Caleb looked down at his feet with his eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion, then looked back up her. The beginning of tears bubbling in his eyes had her immediately pulling him in for a tight hug. He clung so desperately to her that she felt every tremor run through his body.

Once he decided to pull away, she ran a hand through his messy hair and took a hand that she held up between them. “I have you.”

Even though she knew he didn't understand her words, his nod gave her some semblance of hope that the meaning of her words came across. With his hand in hers, they followed behind the rest of the party, until they reached a decent location to camp for the night. Instead of going through his normal routine, Caduceus immediately set out his bedroll and went to sleep-completely unbothered by the others setting up camp. Beau also forewent helping in favor of assisting Caleb with setting out his bedroll and getting him out of his jacket and harness. His hands reached up to stop her when she reached for the harness clasp, until she held up her fist and did a few mock punches.

Once Caleb was settled down, his eyes looked unexpectedly at her, then he motioned to her bag. She placed her bedroll down beside his, which earned her a satisfied smile from the man sitting across from her. It took every ounce of self-control not to roll her eyes like she normally would at his little intricacies that they both knew she grew fond of. Instead, she nudged his shoulder to get him to turn around and began fixing his hair for him. Rather than the usual low ponytail, she braided it and tied it off with a blue bow.

He tugged curiously at the end of it and held it up to his eyes causing them to go crossed in the process. When he grew disinterested in the bow, Caleb let the braid drop to his shoulder, then looked uncertainly around the camp. The smell of food seemed to draw his attention, but he quickly dropped his head to pick at his boots. With an inaudible sigh, Beau quietly rose to her feet to get them both a bowl of food. Before returning to him, she exchanged a quick look with everyone else to find the same concern in all their eyes.

Rather than simply handing it to him, Beau waved the bowl underneath his nose to draw his attention to her. His hands slowly reached for the bowl, then settled it in the circle of his crossed legs with a small smile. As usual Caleb took his time eating, except it wasn't because most of his focus was on his newest book. While there was still an underlying anxiety radiating off him, he appeared more content.

Once he finished, he set the bowl aside and curled up on top of his bedroll like a sleepy cat. After moving their bowls out of the way, she followed suit, but her restless mind didn't let her sleep. The press of a body against hers finally convinced her to give up her poor attempt. She wrapped her arms around Caleb as she stared up at the stars overhead.

Hours past with nothing more than the steady sound of Caleb breathing and the wildlife to keep her company. The first signs of the sun crusting over the horizon colored the sky when the sounds of footsteps met her ears. Caduceus came into her field of vision as he knelt down next to Caleb and pressed a large hand against his back. A breeze from the Wildmother swirled around them, then slowly died down when Caduceus finished the spell.

“Thanks.”

“You should sleep. He is in safe hands.”

“Yeah, keep an eye on him when he wakes up.”

“We will.” Instead of returning to his bedroll, Caduceus sat with his legs crossed near enough to easily reach Caleb. “Rest now. You have earned it.”

After a quick nod, she readjusted to a more comfortable position and buried her face in Caleb's hair to block out the rising sun. His fingers flexed against her back for a moment, but he gave no other sigh of waking. As she let her eyes fall shut, a sudden exhaustion hit her hard sending her immediately into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	24. Prompt 24 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How about a prompt of Fjord trapped under the sea (if mermaid, I will ugly laugh. Guaranteed.) by one grumpy patron/parent named Uka'toa who is upset he won't help destroy the world so he's grounded... and Caleb who Uka'toa captures to keep Fjord entertained and out of trouble. It should be complete disaster, but it turns out the wizard is an even bigger gay disaster. Fjord just wants Uka'toa to stop giving him humans as makeshift plush toys to try and sway him into helping destroy the world.

The exhaustion of dealing with his father sat heavy on his shoulders, until he opened the door to his chambers. A soft glow from four floating orbs immediately drew his attention to the wizard walking slowly back and forth in a line. His beautiful blue eyes never strayed from the letter in his hand, which meant he had not noticed Fjord's arrival. As quietly as possible, he shut it behind him, then slipped off his boots so the click against the stone floor wouldn't give him away.

When Caleb next had his back turned, Fjord cut the distance between them to wrap his arms around Caleb's small waist. For a brief second, Caleb went completely stiff, then he melted back into Fjord's chest. A hand slid over his as Caleb tipped his head back looking for a kiss that Fjord was happy to provide. He rumbled out a pleased hum that brought a smile to Caleb's lips causing the kiss to break.

“Who sent you that one?”

“Beauregard.”

“Ah, should we expect your sister to come storming the castle to save you from the big, bad Uk'otoa?”

“No, but you can never really know with her. It's entirely possible that she is secretly planning to jailbreak the both of us.”

“Can't say I blame her.” Fjord shifted around to hold Caleb from the front, then tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “If my father would stop dragging people into our arguments, there wouldn't be so many people busting down his door just to get them back.”

“True, but I can think of one good thing to come out of his failed attempts at throwing people at you to distract you.”

“You are the best gift he's ever given me.”

The crinkle of Caleb's face at being called a gift had Fjord chuckling at the same time he leaned down to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. “I am beginning to regret agreeing to stay.”

“But think of all those books.”

“As tempting as they are, books are not the reason I am still here.”

“Then what is the reason?”

“I think you know.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn't mean I don't like to hear it from your own lips.” He brushed his thumb across Caleb's bottom lip and pressed their forehead together. “There is nothing I am more grateful for than the fact you stayed for me. When we first met, nothing would have convinced me we would end up here. I thought you hated my guts. You were so quiet and refused to look at me.”

“Now you know better.”

“More importantly, I get to hear your lovely voice and get lost in these eyes. You give me something to look forward to. My father thought you would be the perfect plaything or distraction or whatever he wants to call the mortals he sees so lowly, and you ended up being so much more. You constantly amaze me.”

“Did something happen today?”

“No, why would you ask?”

With a soft sigh, Caleb wrapped his arms around Fjord's neck and titled his head with a small smile. “You are being very affectionate this evening, and you have just come from a meeting with your father. I know how he tries to rile you up.”

“He was no worse than normal. He still wants to flood the world and thinks throwing people at me is the way to convince me to join him. I can only hope at some point he'll figure out I'm not interested in either of those things, but I'm not holding my breath.”

“Well, I am happy to take your mind off it. Is there something I could do to help?”

“A few things come to mind.”

“We have the rest of the evening to ourselves.”

After breaking into a wide smile, Fjord wrapped his hands around the back of Caleb's thighs, then used his hold to pick him up. As a laugh bubbled out of Caleb's chest, his legs wrapped around Fjord's waist to help keep him up. While he wanted nothing more than to kiss him senseless, Fjord waited for his legs to hit the bed before giving in. He slowly lowered them to the mattress without breaking the kiss, then guided them up to the pillows.

When they eventually broke away, the fan of Caleb's hair against the dark purple of the pillows almost knocked out what little breath he still had in his lungs. “You are stunning.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.” Fjord dipped down for a slow kiss, then continued along Caleb's jaw and down his throat. “Stunning and brilliant and kind. If I could, I'd stay right here for the rest of eternity.”

“What's stopping you?”

“At the moment? Nothing.”

“Then why did you stop?”

“You always make the best points.”

“It's one of the reasons you love me.”

With a smile, he slowly pressed kisses back up the side of Caleb's neck back to his lips, so he brushed against them as he spoke. “One of many.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	25. Prompt 25 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire Siblings and Power Word Pain

The flair of his shield around him caused the sword flying straight for his head to deflect harmlessly to the side. His attacker bared their razor-sharp teeth at him, then prepared to make another strike. Before it could get the chance, a flurry of blows slammed into its body that sent its eyes rolling back. As the body began drifting away, Beau gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Stay out of trouble.”

“Fjord is the one you should be worried about. He is the one they are after.”

“I think Yasha, Jester and Caduceus have him covered.”

“Another person couldn't-” A rush of magic washed through him, then constricted to the point he could barely breathe. “hurt.”

“Caleb?”

When the pain threatened to send him to his knees, his hand shot out to grab Beau's arm in the hopes she would prevent his fall. His fingernails bit into her arm as the next wave crashed through him. Every muscle locked up and bile rose up his throat, but he managed to hold it in long enough to take in a shaky breath. An arm wrapping around his waist to help keep him on his feet, then began dragging him.

Each step he took caused a new flare of pain to explode from his feet all the way up to the top of his head. The rumble of Beau's voice gave him something to focus on that wasn't just fighting to hold back the need to vomit. When they finally came to a stop, the world went completely off kilter as she lowered him to the ground.

While he wanted nothing more than to curl up, he forced his eyes open to find Beau crouched protectively over him. “What the hell happened?”

“Spell. Everything hurts.”

“Fuck.” After looking over her shoulder, Beau readjusted her footing with a scowl. “That motherfucker. Would killing it stop it?”

“Most likely not.”

“How do we stop it?”

“I just... need a moment.”

“How long?”

“Not sure.”

With a growl, Beau swung around to slam her staff in the face of a passing cultist, then struck them across the face and ribs with punches. Despite the pain, he dug into his pocket for iron powder that he tossed in Beau's direction with some mumbled words. Instead of growing in size, Beau stayed exactly the same as she turned to glance back at him. He cursed under his breath, then let his eyes fall shut in concentration.

In the center of his chest, he could feel the root of the magic running rampant through his body pulsing with every breath. As he focused on the source of the magic, he attempted to relax his tensed muscles and push the pain away. While it took longer than he would have liked, he couldn't contain the sigh of relief that fell from his lips when the spell broke.

Although his body still ached, it didn't cause him immense pain to rise to his feet so he could rejoin the fight. This time the spell took effect immediately causing Beau to immediately double in size. The cultist eyes went wide at the sudden change, but they weren't able to get away before Beau pummeled them into the ground. When she turned back to look at him, she dropped down to a knee to bring them closer to face level.

“You good?”

He tipped his head thoughtfully to the side as his gaze drifted to the falchion wielding cultist most likely responsible, then he flicked out a hand to shoot a sickly green spiral. As soon as the spell hit home, green magic spread from the impact out like cracks in a window. A shrill cry erupted from it that abruptly cut off when his magic pulse one last time.

“Now I am good.”

“I wanted to do that.”

“You got that other ones.”

“But I specifically wanted that one.”

The eye roll he sent Beau earned him a flick on the head that hurt enough to make his ears ring from the impact. “A little more careful.”

“My bad. Want a ride over to the action?”

“I am going to regret saying this, but I would appreciate that.”

“I don't know why you'd say that.” Beau held out a hand to help him up onto her shoulder. “Hold on. We don't want to miss out on all the fun.”

“I think I had enough fun already, but I will follow your lead on this."

“Good. You don't need to get into more trouble."

“That was not my fault.”

“Debatable.”

“You are the worst.”

“You'd be lost without me.”

“Only a little.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	26. Prompt 26 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord/Caleb: After the blood pact, oops their souls are linked so physical distance is uncomfortable.

At first, he thought the strange sensation in his gut was finally having a moment to consider the horrific events of the day. When it grew to the point he felt physical discomfort from it, he considered leaving the quiet of the cabin. As he debated whether all the questions were worth it, the discomfort slowly lessened until he couldn't feel it. The disappearance of it let him relax back in the desk chair for the first time since he dropped into the seat.

A knock on the door immediately put an end to the calm that started to settle over him, but he didn't let his initial frustration stop him from going to answer the door. While Fjord would describe Caleb as pale, his complexion looked almost translucent in the glow of the lantern light. If he didn't know better, Fjord might have mistaken him for a ghost that wandered onto their ship. That thought served as a bitter remainder of how close he came to dying. The way his body went completely limp and floated like a ragdoll in the middle of her lair.

“Fjord?”

“Sorry.” After shaking his head, Fjord cleared his throat and leaned casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. “Did you need something?”

“There was something I wanted to discuss with you. Would you mind if I came in?”

“Of course.”

With the best smile he could muster, Fjord held the door open for Caleb and quietly closed it behind him. He quickly moved around where Caleb stood in the middle of the room to pull out a chair in front of the desk. Despite a moment of hesitation, Caleb took the offered seat and let Fjord push it back toward the desk for him. His blue eyes roamed around the room while he patiently waited for Fjord to take the seat across from him.

“What would you like to discuss?” To give his hands something to fiddle with, he pulled two cups and a bottle of liquor from the top drawer and began to pour.

“A lot has happened today.”

“That might be a bit of an understatement.”

“A bit. How have you been? You have not said much.”

“What is there to say? We did what we went to do, and nearly sank our own ship. Another day for us.”

A little hum slipped from Caleb's lips, then he took a long drink from his cup. “Just another day?”

“Things have been a little crazy recently. It feels a bit like the new normal.”

“Maybe, but we don't go around making blood pacts. Do you... Have you noticed anything?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?”

Instead of responding, Caleb stared blankly into his cup that his fingers were clenched around tighter than necessary. The slump of his shoulders seemed more pronounced than normal and the bags under his eyes were bigger. It looked like he was doing his best to disappear right in front of Fjord's eyes.

“Have you noticed something?”

“No, it's-I must be imagining it. Forget I even said anything. It's nothing.”

“If something happened, you can tell me.” When Caleb's gaze refused to meet his, Fjord stretched a hand across the table to gently wrap around his wrist. “A lot happened today, and I only understand some of it, so I need you to spell it out to me if you're worried about something. I'm so unbelievably out of my depth here that I don't even know what should catch my attention.”

“I am not an expert in these things either. Your patron is out of my realm of study and what we did down there isn't something I truly understand either. There is power in blood, that is why the Gentleman took ours, but I've never read more than passing information on blood magic. I understand deals and promises and this feels like more.”

“How do you mean?”

“After we separated earlier, it was like a part of me was stretching too thin. I thought it would go away on its own, then I found myself coming here and it eased.”

While Caleb's words came out calm, Fjord could see the uncertainty in his eyes. “You think the blood pact had something to do with that?”

“Possibly. There is an easy way to test it. If you don't mind humoring me. I know you were looking for solitude, but it would not take long.”

“It couldn't hurt to check, right?” Before Caleb got the chance to respond, Fjord moved to open the doors to the balcony. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“You think the distance has something to do with what you felt earlier. There's an easy way to check that. You stay right here.”

“Fjord, I do not think this is a good idea.”

“Trust me. It'll be fine.”

Caleb opened his mouth as if to argue, then snapped it shut and gave an unsure nod of agreement. While he was entirely sure what possessed him to do it, his fingers moved of their own accord to gently tilt Caleb's head back. A quick press of lips to his forehead caused a bright blush to color his pale cheeks. He took advantage of Caleb's stunned brain function to tip over the edge of the balcony to dive into the water below.

Cold water soaked through his thin shirt and britches upon entering the water. He took a moment to enjoy the peace of being submerged, then broke the surface. A wide-eyed Caleb looked down at him from the balcony, but he couldn't see any sign of their distance causing a problem. With a flick of his wrist, the falchion appeared in his hand and a crack of thunder filled the air.

When he reappeared, the same discomfort from earlier churned in his gut to the point he almost couldn't focus enough for the return trip. He quickly same the short distance to grab the side of the ship, then took a moment to catch his breath. Through his wet bangs, he could just make out Caleb leaning heavily against the balcony looking moments away from throwing up. To avoid getting accidentally puked on, Fjord scaled up the side of the ship and hopped over the balcony railing to join Caleb.

“I think you were right.”

“Ja, I think the blood loss is making it worse.”

As gently as possible, Fjord rubbed a comforting hand up and down Caleb's back. “Let's get you to the bed.”

“You are soaking wet.”

“It's fine.”

“The floor.”

“If it'll make you feel better.” He quickly stripped out of his shirt and pants and hung them over the balcony railing to dry. “Will you go lie down now?”

“That was unnecessary.”

A darker blush than earlier flooded Caleb's face as he leaned against Fjord's bare chest on the short walk to his bed. He swayed dangerously for moment when Fjord released his hold to pull back the sheets for him. Once he was settled among the plush pillows, the exhaustion hit Caleb so hard he struggled to keep his eyes open.

“We will need to talk about this. It could cause quite a few problems.”

“Tomorrow. You need sleep.”

“I am in your bed.”

“I don't mind sharing.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he pulled the sheets up to better cover Caleb's body. “Go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	27. Prompt 27 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (I know you've gotten a lot of prompts with this, but I just love the idea of Caleb being the fullblown gay disaster.) So you know those stories about two witches getting the same custody deal from the same person, and having to share the kid? That but with Fjord and Caleb as the witches. Fjord is fine with it, Caleb is just in full panic because now he's coparenting with someone really pretty and it wasn't in the contract. (But isn't complaining about it.)

The first time they met Caleb nearly had a full-blown panic attack as the woman explained why there were two magical beings coming to claim her first born child. While she was too concerned about them killing her retaliation to read the room, Caleb tried not to blatantly stare at the gorgeous man sitting next to him. A tall half-orc with broad shoulders wearing armor with flora etched into it, a long cape and braces. If he didn't look so calm about the entire situation, there would have been concern the man came prepared for a fight. Instead, most of Caleb's energy went to keeping his eyes off his exposed biceps or stealing looks at his gorgeous eyes.

In the end, the decision to share custody over the child rather than haggle new deals with the woman led to Caleb seeing much more of the other. The first few years most of their exchanges came when they were switching off who had Kiri with most of their conversation centering around her. It wasn't until Kiri began talking that Caleb learned more than where Fjord lived and that he was a warlock of the Wildmother. Her first night back always consisted of him making dinner while she rambled about what her and Fjord got up to. Gardening with Caduceus, baking pastries with Jester, learning to sneak and pick locks with Veth and her son. There were always wild and adventurous tales that sounded much more interesting than anything she did with him.

If Fjord wasn't such a kind person, Caleb might have been jealous over how much more interesting her time spent with him sounded. He had no doubt in his mind that as she grew older Kiri would want to spend most of her time with Fjord. Although he loved her greatly, he knew he still came off as awkward and distant whenever she spent time with him. Honestly, he considered it a win that she didn't cling to Fjord and refuse to go with him for a few weeks.

When she finally reached the age that her schooling needed to be considered, Caleb feared the impending conversation with Fjord. Needless to say, he was more than a little surprised when they all sat down at his kitchen table and Kiri immediately insisted on training to be a witch. His shock must have shown plainly on his face because Fjord sent him an amused smile before assuring Kiri that he supported her decision. By the time her decision finally settled in, they were both watching him and waiting for him to respond. To avoid bursting into tears, he pulled Kiri into a tight hug and buried his face into the top of her head as he choked out how proud he would be to train her.

After that, things took a turn that he hadn't at all been expecting. With the rigors of training making swapping houses for weeks at a time difficult, Fjord made the decision to uproot his life in Nicodranas and move to Rexxentrum. Walking out of his house to see him, a tiefling and a firbolg moving in across the street nearly caused him to have a heart attack. Fjord had simply waved at him, then dropped his box to catch Kiri before she slammed into his shins. Dinner that night ended up being an entertaining affair that grew in numbers when Beau, Yasha, Astrid and Eodwulf found out about the new neighbors. Despite barely fitting around the table, the evening ended up being a wild success that became a monthly tradition.

With the close proximity and Kiri connecting them, Caleb found himself spending so much time with Fjord that his underlying attraction to him turned into something much deeper. Family dinners turned into late night conversations after Kiri went to bed over wine and whatever dessert Caduceus or Jester made that week. Normal errands turned into a family event that led them to ice cream in the park or a movie. The more time spent together the closer they grew and the more Caleb found himself desperately wishing for their relationship to evolve into something more romantic in nature.

They were lounging in the garden on a cool summer's night with the string lights hanging in the tree casting the perfect glow on Fjord's face to make Caleb's heart to beat wildly in his chest. Most of the conversation had died down, but Fjord made no move to part ways for the evening. If anything, he looked content to remain reclined back in the lounge chair sipping wine and enjoying the breeze. That was until his eyes suddenly snapped to Caleb to catch him watching him much too closely to be anything short of staring.

Before he could quickly look away, Fjord moved to join Caleb on his lounge chair with his body turned to face Caleb. “Enjoying your evening?”

“Ja, are you?”

“Of course.” His fingers gently brushed a stray strand of Caleb's hair behind his ear, then brought their face so close it was hard to focus. “I always enjoy the evenings we spend together. They are the highlight of my week.”

“I feel the same.”

“That's good.”

“It is?”

“Yes, I feel a bit more confident about this." A surprised exhale fell out of his lips as Fjord's large hand gently cradled his jaw. “Can I kiss you?”

When his voice refused to work for him, Caleb nodded his head as best he could without dislodging Fjord's hand instead. The first tentative brush of lips sent a shiver down Caleb's spine that caused Fjord's lips to twist into a smile. His hand drifted to the back of Caleb's neck to gently grip the back of it as he pressed forward for a much firmer one. Caleb tipped his head to the side for a better angle as he gripped Fjord's bicep, so he had something to keep him grounded. As soon as this one broke, Fjord's lips trailed along his jaw to his neck where his tusks dragged along the delicate skin. He was in the middle of hooking his leg around Fjord's to drag him closer when the sound of the back door opening caused him to freeze.

“Dad? Papa?” Kiri's sleepy voice sounded from just around the corner of the garden giving them just enough time for Fjord nearly reach the archway and Caleb time to hide the bruising most likely beginning to blossom on the junction of his throat and neck.

“Hey, Ki. What do you need?”

“Can't sleep. Can I have another story?”

“Too many thoughts going on up there like your papa?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank another story will help, Cay?”

With Fjord crouched in front of Kiri, it was easy to casually rest his hand on Fjord's upper back as he looked down at him. “I think I have a few things that could help, including a story.”

“That sounds like a plan. Up we go, little one.”

Kiri wrapped her wings around Fjord's neck and tucked her face into his neck as soon as he picked her up. She gave a contented chirp when Fjord began running a comforting hand up and down her back. Fjord hooked his free arm around Caleb's waist, then guided them back along the garden path to the house. As Caleb held the door open for them, Fjord gave him a soft smile and a wink that promised they would pick things back up once Kiri went back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	28. Prompt 28 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb has to take care of a drugged Beau? (Either before level 10, or some rare/exotic poison that works on monks)

Caleb watched in amusement as Beau struggled to balance a spoon on her nose that was meant to be used to eat the abandoned pudding cup sitting on her tray. Her eyes went crossed as she tried her best to keep it balanced, but her drugged state made it impossible. The spoon clattered to the floor much to her annoyance that she immediately directed at Caleb. She looked expectantly at him, until he finally retrieved the spoon from the floor for her.

“Why won't it stay?” To show him what she meant, Beau placed the spoon on her nose and released it causing it to immediately fall again. “I've done this before. You can do it. I know you can. Can you do it?”

“You are very high right now. I think it will be very difficult to manage while you are so out of it.”

“Then you do it.”

“I do not know how. You should ask Fjord when he gets here. He is very good at these kinds of things.”

“You're lame. All you do is read all the time. If you didn't, you might be as cool as me.”

Caleb rolled his eyes at her as he leaned down to grab the spoon once again and set it out of Beau's reach to avoid it ending up on the ground again. “You act like you don't have a personal library in your room.”

“But I actually go outside, unlike you. You're a nerd.”

“So are you.”

“Am not! I don't even know how to read.”

“Then what are all the books for?”

“Decoration!” The pleased smile that stretched across her face at her own blatant lie sent a wave of fondness through him. “Aren't I smart?”

“The smartest.”

“You admit it! That means you have to listen to me.”

“Why?”

“Because smart people always know what they're talking about.”

“That is completely inaccurate, but please go on.”

“When Fjord gets here, you kiss him, then you'll be happy like me and Yasha and Jester. Just grab his face and smash it with your mouth.”

“Any part of his face?”

After a moment of intense though, Beau's features relaxed and she pointed a finger that nearly hit him in the face. “No. The lips. It's supposed to be the lips.”

“I already kiss Fjord on the lips all the time.”

“Since when?”

“Since we started dating six months ago. You were very happy for us.”

“Then that's even more reason to kiss his face.”

“I will be sure to kiss his face when he gets here.”

“Good.” For half a moment, Beau watched the television, then turned her dilated eyes back to him. “How much long until Fjord gets here?”

“Why? Are you already tired of spending time with me?”

“Are you leaving?”

“Fjord is trading off with me because I have to go to work.”

“But we never see each other. I'm always with Jester and Yasha and you're always with Fjord. When was the last time we spent time together?”

“We live together, Beauregard. We spend time together all the time.”

“Lies.”

“Truth.”

“Lies.”

“Truth.”

Beau crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to slump lower in the recliner. “Why are you calling me a liar? I am injured.”

“You are the one calling me a liar.”

“But if you're not a liar, that means I'm a liar. We can't both be telling the truth.”

“We could.”

“Liar.”

“There you go again.”

“Because you're a liar.”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“Because it's funny.”

“No, that's why you lie to me.”

“It is funny.”

While Beau giggled to herself, Caleb turned his attention to the sound of the door to their apartment opening. Fjord gave a small wave as he kicked off his boots and hung his jacket on the coat hook next to the door. His eyebrows raised on his way over to them, then an amused smirk appeared on his face. 

“Did they give her the good stuff?”

“Good luck.” Caleb pressed a quick kiss to Fjord's cheek on his way over to his own winter gear to bundle up. “She has been that way all afternoon. Her next dose is at three. I have already set it out for you. Just get her a new glass of water and try to get her to eat the pudding. She needs to take food with it and she wouldn't eat it earlier. If she won't eat that, there are more mashed potatoes in the refrigerator.”

“Need help with anything else while I'm here?”

“No, just... keep a close eye on her and let me know if she needs anything.”

“I will. Have fun at work.”

“Unlikely, but I'll try. Goodbye, Beauregard. I will be back later.” With a pout, Beau flicked him the bird and narrowed her eyes to a glare. “Fuck you, too. Don't burn the apartment down while Fjord has his back turned.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	29. Prompt 29 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How about a WF role reversal prompt? Where Fjord is a wizard from Port turned into a ship's wizard for Vandren. Caleb is a forced (into service) Warlock by Trent. Maybe things go differently with the Tide's Breath because of this though? Maybe they stay the same?

His falchion easily cut through the spiders, but their numbers were too great for him to keep them all at bay. Pain exploded across his body as they tore into his exposed skin and through weak points in his armor. With a growl of frustration, Caleb swept the sword through the crowd at the same time he let a rush of magic burst from him. A thunderous crack overtook the other sounds of battle when his thunderstep sent the spider swarm around him scattering and took him to Fjord's side.

The wizard only spared him a quick glance before tossing dust and water in the direction of the sky above the spiders. Dark storm clouds suddenly covered the space, then began to pelt the ground with large chunks of hail. If the spiders weren't killed by his blast of thunder, the hail undoubtedly finished them off. With the swarm taken care of, Caleb turned his attention to the three huge spiders the rest of their group were attempting to focus down.

“Are you okay?” A hand gently touched his exposed bicep causing a short burst of pain that had him hissing through his teeth. “Sorry. You're covered in blood.”

“It is not so bad. It probably looks worse than it is.”

“That might be true, but a little extra protection couldn't hurt.”

The surface of his skin coated in a layer of stone that covered the broken skin from all the spider bites. “Thank you, Fjord.”

Before Fjord got a chance to respond, Caleb sprinted to the closest spider that he took a swipe at. When the hit landed, a burst of green flame slammed into the spider next to it causing it to let out a horrific shriek. The one he sliced his sword through lunged at his throat to bite, only to meet stone skin that took most of the damage. A combination of his attacks and Yasha's turned the spider into a segmented mess before it could try again.

However, that didn't stop one from creeping up behind him and leaping onto his back as its fangs sank into his shoulder. A Celestial curse fell from his lips at the same time he pointed his finger at the spider. The warm lick of flames surrounding its body felt warm against his back but didn't cause him any harm. What it did do was provide an opening to stab the falchion over his shoulder right into the underside of the spider twice. Warm blood soaked his back, then down his leg when the spider slid to the ground. 

He let out an exasperated sigh at the uncomfortable sensation as he dismissed the falchion from his hand. Beau's smirk from where she stood completely free of any blood from the spider at her feet. The sudden sensation of the blood disappearing from his skins and armor brought the smirk to an immediate end. Beau threw her arms up in frustration and groaned.

“One time. That's all I ask. Let me enjoy someone other than me being covered in monster guts.”

“Unfortunately, I'm going to continue putting my preference for him not being covered in monster guts over yours.” A pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, then Fjord's thin frame heavily leaned against his back. “As fun as today has been, I, for one, am ready for a very long nap. An eight-hour nap.”

“Did you even get a scratch on you?”

“No, but I'm almost tapped for the day. I'll be practically useless if we get into another fight. We need to find somewhere to rest for the evening.”

“Just stick with Caleb. He'll protect his squishy wizard.”

“Very funny, Beau.”

“I'm hysterical. We should push forward just in case there's a bunch of hidden egg sacs around here, then set camp.”

“If we get attacked again, I'm blaming you.”

While Beau walked away, she threw a dismissive gesture over her shoulder that Fjord answered with a finger she didn't see. After letting out a huff of annoyance, Fjord straightened up from his position blanketing Caleb's back. His nails tapped against the stone skin on Caleb's face, then he leaned forward for a quick peck.

“I'm glad this came in handy.”

“I wasn't going to let it go to waste.”

“How does your shoulder feel? It looked like it really dug in there.”

“It feels fine, but we'll see if that's true when this finally wears off.”

With a low hum, Fjord pressed a gentle hand into Caleb's lower back to encourage him start following Beau. "Caduceus should take a look to make sure they didn't poison you.”

“If it will make you feel better.”

“Well, that makes me sound like I'm unnecessarily worrying.”

“Only a little bit, but I do not mind.”

“Good because it's not going away, especially when freaky giant spiders are trying to eat you.”

“That does happen more than it should.”

“Very funny.”

“I try. It normally does not go over so well.”

“That's because you have a dark sense of humor.”

“Blame my patron.”

“I blame your patron for a lot of them.” In response to Caleb's failed attempts to hide a laugh, Fjord knocked an elbow into his stone ribs. “Don't act like he's not the worst. We all know he is. I look forward to getting the opportunity to kick his ass.”

“Those are very bold words from someone with the physical integrity of a tissue.”

“That is uncalled for. Also, it's not going to stop me.”

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we should focus on the task at hand. We can worry about my patron another day.”

“Another day it is. Hopefully, someday soon.”

“Hopefully.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	30. Prompt 30 - Mighty Nein

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mighty Nein Cuddle Pile?

The weight of the day sat heavy on his shoulders despite the excitement of getting to finally show them months of hard work. While the rest enjoyed their meal and conversation, he tried not to let his exhaustion show. Unfortunately, he couldn't escape the notice of the more perceptive member of the Nein. Despite plenty of distractions, their eyes continued to wander his way.

When the time finally came for them to separate for the evening, a large hand landed on his shoulder. Caduceus gave him a gentle smile that might have helped settle him on any other night, but he felt simultaneously too tired and too keyed up to calm. Even managing a smile felt like an impossible task, which must have shown if Caduceus's understanding nod was anything to go on.

“Is there a space for us all to relax before retiring to our room?”

“The library has plenty of space.”

“That will work.”

Before he could ask any questions, the others followed Caduceus down to the library instead of going up to their rooms. To his surprise, they did not divide themselves among the numerous chairs and couches available. He didn't even have a chance to fully comprehend what they were doing before Jester and Beau had a huge pile of pillows and blankets in an open area. They were quickly organized into a comfortable nest that could fit plenty of people.

A little nudge from Yasha encouraged him over to the small group already sprawled out in the pile. After a moment of hesitation, Caleb took the spot next to Beau and left plenty of space between the two of them. The space was quickly filled when Beau shifted over to make space for Yasha at the same time Fjord settled in on his other side. Despite there being plenty of space, legs ended up tangled together and heads pillowed on each other.

When they all finally settled, Caleb found himself with his head on Fjord's chest, Veth curled up on his legs and Beau's legs across his chest. Every so often he would feel Yasha's fingers brush across his arm wrapped around Beau's thighs or Jester's toes poking him just out of his reach. The warmth surrounding him and the low mummer of everyone's voices settled the anxiety that had filled him all day. 

“Are you still awake?”

“Hm?” Caleb tipped his head lazily to the side, so he could look Fjord in the eye when they spoke. “What?”

“I asked if you were still awake.”

“Ja. Mostly.”

“Sorry for interrupting. Go back to falling asleep.”

“I was not falling asleep.”

“Sure, you weren't.”

With a huff, Caleb glanced over at Caduceus to find him already seconds away from snoring, then resettled on Fjord's chest. He tried his best to keep his eyes open, but the heaviness of his eyelids eventually won out. The comfort of being surrounded by the Nein made it easy to fall into the arms of sleep. Easier than it ever would have been on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	31. Prompt 31 - Empire Siblings (Widofjord/Beauyaster)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A prompt in which Beau tries to help Caleb get a date with Fjord all the while Caleb tries to get Beau a date with Yasha and/or Jester. Both are at their wits end because they've been so preoccupied trying to help the other they've been missing the attempts for themselves. In the end they get their dates, just not how either of them planned it.

Caleb dropped his head into his hands with a sigh of frustration after having witnessed Beau completely miss her opportunity to ask Jester and Yasha to the play he specifically bought them three tickets for. Despite all his attempts to give her the perfect chance, her obliviousness to his help meant they went completely unused. At this point, he was beginning to think that he would have to do something drastic to get her to get her a date with them.

“Is something wrong?”

After taking a moment to compose himself, Caleb lifted his head to find Fjord standing over him holding two smoothies. “Nothing important. Just a bit of frustration.”

“Frustration about what?”

“It will probably sound a little ridiculous.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” After handing Caleb one of the smoothies, Fjord took a seat next to him on the grass. “What is this ridiculous thing that's frustrating you?”

“Promise you won't tell anyone.”

“Who am I going to tell?”

“Beauregard, Jester, Caduceus, Mollymauk, Yasha, Veth.”

“Fair point. I promise not to tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me.”

While Caleb took a long drink from his smoothie, he narrowed his eyes at Fjord, until he wiggled his eyebrows with a smile. “I have been attempting to help Beauregard get a date with Jester and Yasha, but she continues to remain aware of my help. This most recent attempt included three tickets to a play. Instead of asking them, she suggested I give them to Veth and her family. It's not even an appropriate play for a four-year-old.”

“That's kind of fun.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, Beau might have mentioned she has been attempting something similar and finding the same frustrating results.”

“Really? For who?”

“Caleb,” The exasperated sigh that Fjord exhaled as he leveled Caleb a look that meant he thought Caleb was being dense. “who do you think she wants to help?”

“I don't need help.”

“I'm sure she thinks the same, but that doesn't stop you from wanting to help her.”

“There is a big difference there. Beauregard has a chance to have a romantic relationship with Yasha and Jester. I don't have a chance with anyone.”

“Why in the world would you think you don't have a chance with anyone?”

After setting down his drink to have both hands free, Caleb gestured at his entire body. “I think that should be fairly obvious.”

“If you sincerely think you're not attractive, I have some news for you because you are constantly catching people's attention just with your looks. Why do you think Essek kept seeking you out at the library? And, your ex-boyfriend always compliments you on your looks when we see him.”

“That is not the norm, Fjord.”

“Fine. How about this as proof?” Fjord gently cupped his face in his cold and slightly wet hands from the sweet off the smoothie. “I, personally, think you are extremely beautiful. In fact, it can be very distracting.”

“You are just being nice.”

“I think it's pretty obvious why Beau thinks you need a little help. You have a little trouble putting the pieces together.”

“What are you talking about?”

Fjord hesitated for a moment, then slid a little closer to him making their difference height even more exaggerated. “In all honesty, I've been a little bit interested in you since the moment we met and that has only grown the longer we've known each other.”

“I am interested in you as well, Fjord. I value our friendship greatly.”

“That is not what I meant. I mean, I do value our friendship, but I was trying to say that my feelings for you have grown.”

“I understood that.”

“For the love of-Caleb, would you be interested in going on a date with me?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” With a little chuckle, Fjord tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “I know Beau wants to help you get a date with someone that she thinks will be perfect with you, and I'm sure she knows better than I could about that. But I can admit that I'm selfish enough to ask before she gets the chance to make it happen because I'm really interested in you, Caleb. You're incredible and so smart and a little bit of a dork.”

“I think a little bit is an understatement.”

“Maybe, but I can overlook that.”

“Very funny. I think you are the bigger dork.”

“That might be true, so I hope you're willing to overlook that.”

“Why would I do that? It is one of my favorite things about you.”

A wide smile stretched across Fjord's face. “Does that mean you'll consider going on a date with me?”

“Well, I have these three tickets and it would be a shame if all of them went to waste.”

“Can I take you to dinner first?”

“I think that can be arranged. It's a date.”

“Finally!” The unexpectedness and volume of Beau's voice almost caused Caleb to jump into Fjord and knock them both to the ground. “At least one of you can get a hint. I thought I would have to resort to locking you in a room together.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I've been trying to set the two of you up for months. Now, I can enjoy my date with Jester and Yasha without having to worry about you being alone.”

“Do not give yourself credit because this had nothing to do with you. Also, since when are you dating Jester and Yasha?”

“We went out for drinks after Jester's art show last week and it turned into a date. Don't be jealous.”

“I am not jealous. I am just regretting all of my life choices because I have been trying to help you and nothing has worked. Just went out for drinks!”

Beau's shit-eating grin grew wider as she leaned down to ruffle his hair just to annoy him. “Have fun on your date. Remember to use protection.”

“Fuck you, Beauregard Lionett!”

“Kiss my ass, Caleb Widogast!”

“Go away. We are trying to have a private conversation.” Before walking away, Beau flipped him the bird and gave Fjord a friendly punch on the shoulder. “She can never find out she had anything to do with this.”

“Agreed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	32. Prompt 32 - Fjord & Jester (Mentioned Widofjord/Beauyaster)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord and Jester talk about their crushes?

The click of boots against the wooden floor alerted Fjord to the tiefling joining him before her shadow fell across him. Without bothering to ask any questions, Jester flopped onto the floor next to him. Instead of using her arms to pillow his head like him, she plopped her head on his bicep and let out an unnecessarily loud sigh. She repeated it when he didn't say anything, then poked him in the ribs when he continued to remain silent.

“Fjord, what are doing?”

“Thinking.”

“But why are you doing it all the way in your room by yourself?”

“Just wanted a little quiet.”

“Did you really want quiet or are you over here for another reason?”

As gently as possible, Fjord slipped his arm out from beneath Jester's head, so he could sit up. “What other reason would I have to go to my room? Sleep?”

“Well, Caleb made that joke and you blushed really hard, then made the lamest excuse to leave.”

“You all make jokes all the time that make me blush. Why would I leave because of that?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Jess.”

“Are you in love with Caleb?” The earnestness in Jester's eyes and her soft smile tempted him to answer, but the shock of her question kept him silent. “Because it's okay if you are! He's really pretty and smart and he made this incredible tower for us and he wanted to dance with you.”

“That's all true.”

“He is pretty amazing. I totally understand why you would be in love with him. There's a lot to love about him.”

“I, uh, yeah. Yeah, I am in love with Caleb. Is it that obvious?”

“You did buy him that super expensive Ioun stone, which will really help him, but he did give me his money and you didn't even want to use it. You just bought it and wanted to give it to him. It was really cute.”

“He needs the protection.”

“I know that, Fjord, but it was a little romantic that you bought it for him.”

“That's not why I did it. I just... We're dealing with all these people from his past that probably want to kill him and there's already been so many close calls. Hell, I almost killed him in Dashilla's lair. The more protection he can get, the better.”

Jester nodded in understanding, then nudged him playfully with her shoulder. “Do you want to know what I think?”

“Even if I didn't, you would tell me, but yes. Tell me what you think.”

“I think that two of you would be really cute together.”

“Cute isn't a good basis for a relationship.”

“Maybe not, but you also have a lot in common. That's really important for a good relationship.”

“That's true.”

“Is that why you're in love with him?”

“I'm in love with him for a lot of reason. This entire tower embodies all the things I love most about him. He's brilliant and kindhearted and silly. If I could, I would spend all day listening to him talk about his interests.”

“That's really sweet, Fjord. I think you should go for it. I can totally help you get him alone to take him on a date!”

“Thank you, Jess. That's really kind of you.” He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, then leaned back on his hands. “Can I ask you a question now?”

“It's only fair! Ask away.”

“Do you like Beau?”

“That's a silly question, Fjord. Beau and I share a room at the Xhorhaus.”

“You know that's not what I mean.”

With a heavy sigh, Jester leaned dramatically against his chest. “She's in love with Yasha.”

“And?”

“And, she doesn't like me.”

“You really think Beau doesn't have a big enough heart to love you and Yasha. Have you seen her and Caleb? I have never seen two people love each other more than the two of them. Beau has a lot to give.”

“Do you think Yasha would feel like I'm trying to take Beau away from her?”

“Are you only interested in Beau or do you have feelings for Yasha as well?”

“Yasha is pretty cool.” Jester bit her lip as she trailed off into silence, then sat up to look him in the eye. “I like Yasha, but I don't know if I like her like that you know because she was gone for a really long time and we didn't get to know each other well before that. If we got to know each other better, I might.”

“The way I see it is you have a few options. You could tell Beau that you have feelings for her and want to figure out a way that you and Yasha could both be in a relationship with her. You do that and make it clear that you might like to also be in a relationship with Yasha in the future after you time to get to know each other better. You could wait until you get to know Yasha better, then approach both of them once you have a better idea of whether you would like a relationship with both of them.”

“If I wait, I might lose my chance.”

“I don't think that's true. It takes time to figure things out. There's no reason to put a time limit on it. They'll understand.”

“Maybe, I could talk to them about how I'm feeling just so they know, but our relationship stays the same for now.”

His arm wrapped around Jester to pull her into a hug that she eagerly reciprocated. “That sounds like a good idea.”

“And while I talk to them, you can ask Caleb on a date!”

“We're in the middle of the tundra. Where am I supposed to ask him to go on a date?”

“Don't be ridiculous, Fjord. You would ask him to go on a date after we finish this job. Oh, you should take him dancing!”

“I'm not the best dancer.”

“Caleb didn't complain about your dancing. In fact, you guys stayed in the stinky place just to keep dancing with him. Take him dancing, Fjord!”

“Fine, but if it goes poorly I blame you.”

“You'll be thanking me later!”

“We'll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	33. Prompt 33 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: May we have a jealous!Caleb WF? But not a normal jealousy, those are boring. Plus Caleb doesn't hit me as one of those. Instead he'd totally be like a cat when they're jealous. Jealous cats always make the perso they dislike know they're there, will always claim the spot next to their friend, and just in general be a little jerk. Heck, Frump would totally help with this too.

While he tried his best to avoid eye contact with Beau, her determination made it impossible to completely avoid her. Whenever she got the chance, a knowing look was directed at him that he pretended to not see. Despite knowing she was watching him the instant the flirty woman decided to make her way over to Fjord, the urge to assert himself between them was too strong. Before she even got the chance to take the open stool next to Fjord, Caleb moved next to him and asked the first question that would grab the other man's attention.

He should have expected the woman to be too determined to let that stop her from trying to chat up Fjord. She simply dropped into the open spot next to Beau and inserted herself into the conversation. Although she normally would have commented on an unwanted guest, the smirk directed at him meant that wouldn't be happening. Rather than engage with her, Caleb turned all his attention to Fjord and did whatever he could to make it clear the woman wasn't welcome without saying it outright.

Unfortunately, the women either didn't care or was completely oblivious to his annoyance at her presence. Even when Frumpkin planted himself between them and hissed every time she attempted to pet him, she remained in her seat. Her stubborn determination to get Fjord's attention remained through all of Caleb's attempts to push her out of the conversation.

It took a suggestion of a round of drinks for her to finally move away from the table allowing Caleb to relax for the first time in an hour. As Beau opened her mouth to make a comment, an arm stretched across the back of his chair that brushed against his shoulders. He didn't realize just how close Fjord got, until he whispered in Caleb's ear.

“If you wanted her to go away, you shouldn't have agreed to a round of drinks.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” He barely got the sentence out of his mouth before he flipped the finger at Beau for her laughter. “She is perfectly... friendly. Why wouldn't I agree to spend more time with her?”

“You've given her the cold shoulder since she sat at the table.”

“I have not.”

“Well, you certainly haven't been friendly.”

“Why would you say that?”

To his surprise, the arm on the back of his chair wrapped around his shoulders to pull him against Fjord's side as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You're acting like Frumpkin when someone tries to take his napping spot.”

“I am not.”

“You very much are, but I think she finally got the hint.”

“I wasn't hinting at anything.”

“You're right. Hinting wasn't the right word to you. She finally picked up on you defending your territory.”

“I do not have territory to defend.” With a huff, Caleb plucked Frumpkin off the table to prevent his shaking hands from giving him away. “I am just a little tired after a long day of travel. If I came off as rude, that was not my intention.”

“Bullshit. You knew exactly what you were doing.”

“Oh, really. And how do you know this? Can you read my mind now?”

“Don't have to.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I like to think I know you well enough now to know when you intentionally try to get a stranger to leave.”

“I think you're just unnecessarily reading into things.”

“Agree to disagree. Either way, it doesn't look like she'll be coming back, so you can relax now.”

After letting out a low hum, Caleb completely melted into Fjord's side and tipped his head back to press a quick kiss to the underside of Fjord's chin. “If I do that, I might fall asleep. I am barely keeping my eyes open as it is.”

“Finish your drink. Don't worry about falling asleep. I can take you up.”

“Thank you, Fjord.2

“You're welcome, Catleb.”

“Shut up.” A half-hearted slap to Fjord's chest brought a laugh from him that jostled Caleb's position against him. “You are not funny.”

“I'm hilarious.”

“You are a better pillow when you keep your mouth shut.”

“Someone's a grumpy cat.”

“Beauregard, how does a trip to the beach tomorrow sound? I have something to throw in the ocean.”

Fjord grabbed his hand out of the air and laced his finger through it on the way to the table. “Point taken. No more cat jokes, and this stays right where it belongs.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	34. Prompt 34 - Beauyaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beauyashter exploring Widogast's Nascent Nine-Sided Tower?

“Did you find anything interesting, Beau?” A horn brushed against the side of her cheek as she peeked over her shoulder. “All I found were a bunch of boring history books.”

“Did you draw dicks on them?”

“What do you take me for? Of course, I drew dicks on them!”

“Nice. These are all erotica.”

“Oh, anything interesting?”

“Most of them are in Zemnian, which I'm still working on learning. From what I can tell, most of them are historical, but there are a few that might be interesting.”

Jester grabbed the fanciest book on the lower shelves and waved it in the air. “What about this one? I bet it's really good!”

A hand plucked it out of Jester's before she got the chance to open it, then carefully leafed to the first page. A soft smile appeared on Yasha's face as she handed the book back to Jester and dropped a kiss on her head. Beau immediately leaned forward to see what had Yasha smiling and could hold back her laughter at the words.

“How many of these do you think he hid in here for you?”

“I don't know, but this will be the best scavenger hunt ever!” After drawing a colorful dick in the book, Jester placed it back where it belonged on the bookcase. “Tonight, is about exploring! Let's go.”

“Go where?”

“I want to see what kind of rooms we can make.”

“How many ideas do you have?”

“Only a few.”

“Hundred?”

With a bright smile, Jester grabbed one of Beau's and Yasha's hands, then dragged them to the center of the tower. They drifted down one floor to the circle of double doors that Caleb had initially skipped over in their tour. As they set foot on the floor, Jester rushed over to one set of doors and motioned for Yasha and Beau to do the same.

“On the count of three, we all open our doors. Ready? One, two, three!”

As she pulled the doors to her room open, a full bar greeted her. The solid wood of the bar shone in the low light provided by the magical globules floating around the space. Bottles of alcohol lined the shelves behind it with a few bottles of milk mixed in. The barstools all had cushy seats that just called for her to plop down in one and enjoy a good whiskey.

“Yasha, that's so pretty! What do you think, Beau?”

While she expected a field of flowers, the beautiful array of colors and typed exceeded her wildest expectation. A few of them she recognized from their travels, but most were completely foreign to her. The gentle beat of the sun from some unknown source lit the space and a soft breeze seemed to make the flowers move gently like waves on the ocean.

“That is amazing. Would it be inappropriate to grab a bottle and bask in the sun?”

“That sounds like a great idea.” Yasha pressed a kiss to her temple as she walked past her to grab a bottle of alcohol and milk from behind the bar. “Good choices.”

“Thanks. You coming Jessie or are you going to hang out in that art studio for a little while?”

“I can do that later!”

After Yasha found the perfect spot among the flowers, they took a seat leaning against Yasha with the bottles passing between them. When Beau closed her eyes, she could imagine the fields stretching out for miles and birds flying through the sky. She could imagine them pulling off the road in the middle of summer to enjoy a few hours to themselves after a couple days of hard work.

“What do you think is on the upper floors?” The rumble of Yasha's voice broke through the daydream she settled into.

“Nothing he wants us to see. At least, not right now.”

“You are probably right. We should keep an eye on him.”

“Yeah, and poke around the place as much as possible.”

“I think we have poked enough for today. Next time, I would like to spend more time with those cats.”

Jester's head knocked against her head as she excitedly straightened up. “We should spend all night with them. They're all super nice and fun and talented!”

“Next time, cats.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	35. Prompt 35 - Beau, Fjord & Jester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: OG Trio having a sleepover on their floor?

A knock on her door forced Beau's attention away from the open journal she had been staring at for hours. The burning in her eyes tipped her off to the late hour, but she didn't let that stop her from going to answer the door. Jester stood on the other side in her sleepwear with a bundle of pillows and blankets in her arms. A tired smile that didn't quite reach her eyes stretched across her face.

“Did I wake you up? I didn't mean to.”

“No, Jess. I was still working on something. What is all that for?”

“Well, Caleb was really nice to make this super fancy, magic tower for us. It's just... I thought we could do a sleepover, like when we first met, and we had to camp all the time.”

“That's a good idea. Where are we doing this?”

“I thought we could see if Fjord wanted to join and, maybe, do it in his room. We haven't been on a boat in a while.”

Beau threw an arm across Jester's shoulders as they moved over to Fjord's door, then knocked loudly against the wood. It took several attempts for a disgruntled Fjord to finally open the door for them. He looked like he just stumbled out of his hammock with his hair standing up in all directions and hands rubbing at his eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Move over. We're doing a sleepover and we're using your room to do it.”

“I don't remember agreeing to this.” Despite his words, Fjord stepped aside to let them into his room, then shut the door behind them. “We can set up in the meditation room. There is plenty of space in there.”

“Thanks.”

After arranging everything into a somewhat organized space on the ground, they all collapsed on it. Their limbs tangled together among the blankets and pillows, but none of them made any move to separate themselves. The warmth of being surrounded by other people almost completely lolled her to sleep, until Jester's voice pulled her from the brink.

“Remember when it was just the three of us. I'm glad we met everyone else.”

Beau forced her eyes open to look at Jester. “Me too. Things started out shaky, but it worked out in the end.”

“Are you worried about tomorrow? A lot could go wrong.”

“There's not a lot we can do about that now. We prepared the best we could.”

“Yeah, I guess we did.”

“Are you worried?”

“A little. I mean,” Jester shuffled a little closer and wrapped her tail around her wrist. “Caleb seemed more worried than normal at dinner.”

“I noticed that, too.”

“Should we invite him or move to his room?”

A grumble from the opposite side interrupted her response. “I am going to move to Caleb's room if you two keep talking. Some of us want to sleep.”

“Bold words coming from someone that has yet to confess his feeling.” To prevent Fjord from getting up, Beau locked her legs around his at the same time Jester grabbed his arm. “If you're so tired, just go to sleep.”

“If you stop talking so loud, I could.”

“That sounds like a weak excuse.”

“Next time you two show up to interrupt my sleep, I'm shutting the door.”

“You missed this.”

“And now I'm realizing I was remembering this more fondly than I should have.”

A flick of Jester's tail at his nose drew an annoyed huff from him that she laughed at. “Don't be a stick in the mud, Fjord. You're supposed to talk at sleepovers. That's part of the fun.”

“The fun part is sleeping.”

“Boring.”

“No, I'm tired. Can we please go to sleep and talk in the morning?”

“Fine, but only because you asked nicely.”

“Thank you.”

“Good night!”

“Night, Jessie. Night, Beau.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	36. Prompt 36 - Jester & Beau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jester polymorphs into a cat again to explore, but this time takes a friend. (OG Trio? Beauyashter? Everyone?)

“Beau, what are you doing?”

After finishing the end of the paragraph, Beau looked up from the book to find Jester smiling wide. “Reading. Why? Did you find something cool?”

“No, but I know a way we could find something cool.”

“What's the plan?”

“Remember the first time we came here and I went through the cat tunnels? I can turn both of us into cats now.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” Jester excitedly wiggled her fingers, then wrapped them around her wrist and gave a firm tug. “Come on. It'll be fun. They go all over the place. I barely got to see anything last time. We can definitely find something new.”

“I have wanted to see what it looks like. It sounded really cool.”

“It's amazing. There are so many ways to go and more cats than I've ever seen before and they're all super nice. They helped catch me when I almost fell. I may have crushed a few of them, but they all came back! They also cuddle with me when I go to bed.”

“Let's do it.”

“Come on.”

Beau followed Jester to the closest entry to the cat tunnels, then wait as she pulled something out of her pocket. The smile grew as she said a few words that caused Beau's body to tingle and rapidly shrink. When it finally stopped, she looked down to find dark blue paws. A lighted blue cat excitedly jumped around in front of her with the tail swishing widely behind her.

The tail slapped her in the face as she turned to enter the tunnel and ran up it completely out of sight. Beau quickly followed behind her to avoid losing her and risk getting lost in the twisting tunnels. They followed along them, until they hit a huge juncture where a bunch of them interconnected. A few of the cat meowed at them on their way through a tunnel that led them to a dead end.

Instead of turning around, Jester began meowing loudly at the blocked exit, until it slid open to reveal a confused Fjord. A paw swatted out to bop him right on the nose causing him to immediately sneeze. Jester quickly turned around to push past Beau, who followed after her before Fjord could recover.

While Beau had trouble tracking where they were headed, they ended up coming out of an exit that led to the kitchens. They ran through the kitchens to a different entry point that took them to the bottom floor, then up a different one to a floor she had never seen before. Above their head was either a perfect depiction of the night sky or so accurate that she couldn't see any obvious differences. The rest of the room was equally incredible with intricate glowing ruins in a rainbow of colors covering the walls leading to the sky.

A sudden shift in her body brought the room into a new perspective as she returned to her normal height. Even though she wanted to continue inspecting the room, she turned her attention to Jester. Her eyes were so focused on the room around her that it took her a moment to realize Beau was looking at her.

“This is amazing. What do you think he uses this for?”

“No idea. Wizards are weird.”

“It is pretty cool though.”

“Yeah,” Beau looked back up at the sky above her just in time to see something bright orange streak across it. “it is pretty cool. Think there's anything else new to find?”

“We can find out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	37. Prompt 37 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb trying to get Beau to GO TO SLEEP

“What are you still doing up?” Despite hearing the question, Beau ignored him in favor of continuing to pour over the tome. “I cannot believe I am about to say this, but I think you need to put the books away. We have looked through these multiple times. There is nothing there.”

“We must have missed something.”

“If that is the case, it would be easier to find after getting some sleep. You need a chance to let your mind rest.”

“There isn't time for that. We're leaving soon. If I don't find something now, there might not be a chance to later.”

The book suddenly disappeared from her view and out of her reach before she could make a grab for it. “That is proof that you should be done for the night.”

“Give it back.”

“Beauregard, you are going to exhaust yourself doing this.”

“I'll be fine.”

“Last I checked, you still need sleep to function properly. Unless there is something you have not been telling us, it is time for bed.”

“I think I am perfectly capable of making that decision for myself. I don't need you making decisions for me.”

“I am not trying to make decisions for you.” With a heavy sigh, Caleb dropped into the chair next to her. “Losing Molly was hard, and it brought us all closer together in a lot of ways. There is a lot we still don't know much about him and what he was involved in. I understand wanting to find out, but the fact of the matter is I don't think the answers we are looking for are in these books. Unless he was lying, Molly didn't even fully understand whatever happened to him before. The Nine Eyes, the moving city, whatever's waiting for us in Eiselcross. They either covered their tracks very well or people paid no notice to them. Whatever the case may be, there aren't any answers here.”

“Yeah, yeah. You're right. I just... I know we have a habit of running into things with no plan or idea of what we're getting into, but there are so many questions and no answers. It feels like we're going into this completely blind and the last time that happened we lost Molly.”

“Completely blind feels like a bit of an exaggeration, but I know what you mean. We are much more knowledgeable and powerful than we were then. We have made friends with people that have far reaching connections. The fact none of them have any information on this is cause for concern. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about that, but we can watch each other's backs and get some sleep.”

After giving him a playful punch on the shoulder, Beau shut her journal and rose from her seat. “I don't know why you're here bugging me about it when you aren't asleep.”

“Someone had to make sure that you got some sleep.”

“And you drew the short straw.”

“No.” Beau threw her arm around his shoulders and leaned against him as they headed out of the library. “The others have already taken over your room. It is a bit of a mess.”

“As long as there's a place to sleep, that's not a problem.”

“I made sure they left us a space, but they may have taken it over.”

“We'll make a space if we have to.”

“Try not to leave too many bruises.”

“No promises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	38. Prompt 38 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire siblings and accidental friendly fire?

Blood poured down her face causing the vision in her right eye to blur and her eyelashes to stick together on every blink. Despite the disruption to her vision, her blows landed on the twisted creatures that kept appearing. It seemed like every time she took one down, two more would take its place. Even though they were slow, every hit forced the air out of her lungs and threatened to knock her off her feet.

With a grunt, she slammed her first into the one on her left, then turned to the other with her next two attacks. She leapt over their unmoving bodies to join back up with the group, only to get tackled on her way there. Large fingers dug into her skin as they tried to pin her down, but she wiggled out of their grip enough to get the upper hand on them. It took a firm push to force their limp body off hers, so she could continue making her way back to the other.

A shadow moving in the corner of her eyes caused her to instinctively whip around with her staff at the ready. The sight that greeted her was a form larger and more twisted than the rest of them, like several of them jammed together into one hideous monster. Her staff whipped through the air in an arc that sent a wave of force that it dodged at the last second. She froze as an unsuspecting Caleb took the hit and went flying fifteen feet through the air. His body slammed into the ground, then slid a few more feet before it came to a stop.

The slam of a fist into her pulled her attention away from the wizard still on the ground. She managed to avoid the next few attacks as she waited for the right opening. The moment it presented itself she slammed her gloves together and aimed at the weakest spots she could find. While she didn't have high hopes that it would work, she struck with the intent of stunning the creature.

Despite not expecting it to freeze, her next few blows took advantage of it and allowed her to find the weak point she was looking for. Focusing on that spot sent it to its knees putting it at the perfect height to kick across its face. Both her feet connected hard against its cheek causing the head to twist, but not nearly as much as she would have hoped. In fact, it was still coherent enough to grab her trailing foot and attempt to flip her onto her back.

She managed to control the way she twisted through the air and used the momentum to slam her staff hard across the body. It staggered off balance to one side, then completely fell over when she followed up with a kick. She planted her staff on the ground to vault into the air and came down hard with both feet right on its face. The crunch of the bones giving way under her boots was all she needed to hear before her focus moved to finding Caleb.

While the boot caused the grass to be slicker than normal beneath her feet, she didn't let that slow her down. Her knees took a hard impact as she slid to a stop next to his body and carefully turned him onto his back. She placed her hand over his mouth, then let out a sigh of relief when his breath met her skin. A couple gentle pat against his cheek caused him to stir and blink his eyes open in confusion. His hand reached up to rub a knot on the side of his head that must have happened when he hit the ground.

“What happened?”

“I may have accidentally hit you.” She clasped his hand in hers to help him to his feet, then wrapped an arm around his waist when he almost toppled over. “Stand straight.”

“The world is spinning. I think I'm going to vomit.”

“If you vomit, do it away from me.”

“I am not entirely sure where you are.”

“Okay. We're getting you to a healer.”

“Caduceus. His magic tastes better than Jester's.”

Her momentary pause at the strange sentence almost sent Caleb tumbling forward right on his face. “I don't even know what that means, but sure. We'll get you to Caddy.”

“You're the best partner ever.”

“I'm pretty sure I knocked you unconscious.”

“But you did it out of love.”

“No, it was an accident.”

“That's the same thing.” Caleb came to an abrupt halt with his face wrinkled up, then straightened back up and kept walking like nothing happened. “Where is everyone else? Did we get lost?”

“No, they're just finishing those things off. Let's just...”

She paused mid-sentence to wave Fjord over, then quickly moved her hand to wrap around Caleb when he threatened to tip over. A strange noise came from Caleb's throat that barely tipped her off in time to bend them both over. Her head turned to avoid looking at the grass now covered in sick as she waited for him to finish. When he let out a disgusted groan, she pulled them both upright and let out a sigh of relief as Fjord came to a stop in front of them.

“What happened?”

“I may have accidentally knocked him unconscious and gave him a concussion.”

Fjord's hands gently cupped his face to turn his head to get a better look at the knot, then began to glow. “That's the extent of what I can do to help. Want me to take him?”

“If you want to risk getting thrown up on, go right ahead.”

“I doubt he has much left in him.”

“You're probably right. You can carry him to Cad. He said his magic tastes better than Jester's.”

“Right.” A look of confusion momentarily appeared on Fjord's face that quickly vanished as he turned to drop onto one knee. “To Cad it is. You should probably spot him.”

“Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't fall off.”

“Good. We don't want to give him a second concussion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	39. Prompt 39 - Caleb & Nott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Nott/Caleb modern au fluff !!

Caleb pulled the comforter tighter around his shoulders as he let out a pathetic sniffle and tried not to sneeze. The steady sound of the television playing in the background hadn't helped him to sleep like he hoped it would. Every time he started to fall asleep, a coughing fit would force him back awake. It made him absolutely miserable, but the medication had yet to do more than prevent his symptoms from getting worse.

The sound of a key turning in the front door lock distracted him from his misery. Nott poked her head through the crack, then quickly scampered in and shut the door behind her. Before joining him on the couch, she kicked her shoes off next to the door and hung her coat up. Her small body tucked against his side as she gave him a soft pat of comfort on his thigh.

“Beau said you were feeling better.”

“That might be a bit of an exaggeration. I am not getting worse is more accurate.”

“I should have brought soup.”

“There was no need to waste your time with that. Beauregard has bought me plenty of soup and fluids. It is just a matter of time at this point.”

Nott adjusted the blanket across his lap, then snuggled more comfortably against him. “Can I keep you company? I promise not to be too loud.”

“Of course. I could use the company. It is boring sitting around by myself all day.”

“Do you want a book?”

“No, I tried reading earlier. It just gave me a headache.”

“I could read to you.”

“There's no need for that.” The light weight of Frumpkin leaping onto his lap added to the pleasant warmth against his body. “If you do not mind, I may fall asleep. I have not been able to the past few days.”

“It's fine. I'll be here to protect you.”

“That's very brave of you. Just stay right there while you do it. You two are very warm.”

Movement against his side preceded a hand pressing against his forehead. “You're a little warm, but it's not too bad. Try to sleep.”

“I will. Thank you, Nott.”

“You don't need to thank me, Caleb. Focus on getting better.”

“There is not much more I can do to make that happen.”

“Sleeping is what you can do, so close your eyes and don't say another word.”

“Okay, Nott. Wake me if my alarm doesn't when it's time for my medication.”

“I will.”

“Thank you, Nott. You are a very good friend.”

A small hand patted him on the head as his heavy eyelids finally slid shut. “You'd do the same for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	40. Prompt 40: Veth & Fjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Veth and Fjord sleepy cuddles where they're both too tired to be mean to one another

“Caleb, you have to come see this.”

With a sigh of frustration, Caleb looked up from the book that he'd been attempting to read all night, only to be interrupted any time he started getting into it. “Why can you not just tell me what is so important?”

“Because you wouldn't believe me if I did.”

“That sounds extremely concerning. There is not much I would not believe from you.”

“Trust me, you wouldn't believe me on this, and you wouldn't want to miss it.”

“Fine, but it better be quick.”

Once again, Caleb pushed away the book, then rose from his desk. He followed Beau out of the library to the common room where the others often went after dinner. The crackling fire cast a glow across the room that sent long shadows spidering out along the furniture. It provided enough light for him to notice a strange lump on one of the long couches. If it weren't for a strange second mound on top of the larger one, he might have assumed that a person had fallen asleep on it.

Before he could ask what was hiding beneath the blanket, Beau crept across the room to slowly lift the blanket off the lump. All thoughts came to an immediate halt at the sight of Veth curled up on Fjord's chest fast asleep. While they didn't hate each other, they made it no secret that they preferred to trade barbs as their form of showing affection. Falling sleep together was definitely far from anything he could have ever imagined happening in his wildest dreams.

“What did I tell you?” Beau whispered just loud enough that Caleb would be able to hear her from across the room. “Would you have believed me?”

“Did one of you do this?”

“No, they stayed behind in here when the rest of us left and I just found them like this. I thought it was an illusion when I first saw it.”

“They must have been more exhausted than we thought.”

“I wish I could keep this image forever. Do you think Jester would paint this moment? We could put it over the fireplace.”

“We are not going to do that.”

Despite Beau hisses at him to stop, Caleb gently shook Veth's shoulder to wake her up, then took a quick step back when she instinctively lashed out at him. She blinked at him for a moment before looking down at the body beneath her and quickly scrambling off the couch. On the way down, a well-placed elbow landed on Fjord ribs causing him to wake up. He let out a pained grunt from the blow and opened his eyes to glare at Veth.

“What was that for?”

“What was what for?”

“Fuck you, Veth.” Fjord stood from the couch with a groan, only to pause when he noticed Beau and Caleb. “What happened? Is something wrong?”

“Go to bed, Fjord.”

“No one asked for your opinion.”

“Sound like you need it.”

The blanket ended up tossed at Fjord's chest as Beau turned to glare at Caleb. “I liked it better when you were both asleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	41. Prompt 41 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Youtube!Au. Caleb runs a very successful education channel, while adding the odd game with Beau and Jester. Well, they link him to a video by Fjord one day. Insert massive bi-panic. A few months later Fjord finally does one of those face reveals. Second massive bi-panic (maybe on stream?). Finally get to meet up, and Caleb blue screens. Which is caught on video. And shared. But now they're dating! So go them!

The ping of a message on Discord broke through the cloud of focus he fell into over the course of hours editing. Despite the red notification at the bottom of his screen, he ignored it in favor of staying focused on his editing. A few more pings went by before his phone started ringing a familiar tune that he knew there was no point ignoring. With a sigh of frustration, he answered the phone and tucked it between his ear and shoulder.

“I'm working, Beauregard.”

“Take a break to look at the video we sent you.”

“It'll be there later.”

“Just do it. It won't take long.”

“Why are you like this?”

“If you don't watch it now, you know I'll come over there and force you to.” Another sigh fell from his lips as he switched to Discord to find several messages from Beau and Jester, including a YouTube video. “Are you doing it?”

“Ja, be patient for once in your life.”

“Make sure you have your headphones on.”

“I have one in. Would you be quiet? You wanted me to watch this.”

“Fine.”

Caleb clicked on the link to a horror let's play of Alien Isolation. As soon as the creator started speaking, Caleb almost dropped his phone out of shock at the pleasant lightly British accent. The voice washed over him like a heavy blanket, until a startled scream burst from his headphone. A garbled mess of broken phrases followed the scream of horror.

While the video continued playing in the background, Caleb returned to his conversation with Beau. “What have you done?”

“What? I thought you like horror.”

“His voice is amazing.”

“It's not bad.”

“Fuck you, Beauregard Lionett.”

“He has lots of playlists. Have fun.”

“I hate you.”

* * *

“Are you sure you're qualified to be doing this? Did you even read the rulebook?”

“Do not question me. I am your DM.”

Caleb rolled his eyes at Beau, then glanced over at the chat flying by on his other screen. “I was the one that had to drag you kicking and screaming to the table when I DMed our first campaign. You told me it was nerd shit, and you're not into nerd shit, which is a gigantic lie.”

“Nobody asked you.”

“Why did I agree to help you with this?”

“All you're doing is throwing off the schedule by dragging this out.”

“I'm sending back your Christmas gift.” Rather than acknowledge the bird being flipped at him, Caleb readjusted his setup to make sure everything he needed was easily accessible. “How about you get all your super-secret guest players on the call?”

“Someone's still mad because I wouldn't tell them who I invited.”

“I already know four of them, so that is completely incorrect.”

“Two of them are still a secret.”

“Let them join the call, Beauregard.”

“You take the fun out of everything.”

Caleb made a show of rolling his eyes at the camera, then slipped off his headphones to pick up the cat nudging at his feet. After taking a moment to give Frumpkin several long strokes, he settled his cat comfortably in his lap. The sound of several voices greeted him as he slipped his headphones back on and turned his focus to the screen.

“Are you ready to play now?”

“I have been waiting on you, Beauregard.”

“Since you're back with us, I can now do introductions.” Beau's attention moved to her second screen. “For those of you just joining us, welcome to the Mighty Nein charity livestream event. We'll be here all-day raising money for a really great cause, so please consider donating if you can and keep spreading the word. Next up, I'm going to DM for the first time a game of Dungeons and Dragons. It's going to be a fun oneshot with some very special guests. Caleb Widogast has been here all day, so no special intro for him.”

“Are you at least going to let me introduce my character?”

“We all know it's an angsty disaster bi like you. What else is there to introduce?”

“My character is a half-elf rouge named Vax'ildan.”

“And he's an angsty disaster bi.”

“And his favorite people in the world are his sister and her pet, unlike in real life. My sister,” His air quotes drew a glare from Beau that he learned to ignore long ago. “is the worst.”

“That's enough out of you. Don't make me mute you.”

“You can certainly try.”

“Moving on because we have more important people to get to. The amazing Jester is joining us today.”

While the rest made their introduction, Caleb let his eyes wander to his chat and only half paid attention to the conversation. He glanced over at the sound of a calm voice he didn't recognize and gave a little wave to him in greeting. When the next introduction came, his heart stop in his chest at the sight of a handsome half-orc whose voice he immediately recognized. If his reaction hadn't been obvious before, Caleb's jaw practically dropped when he switched to a deep character voice.

His eyes instinctively flicked to Beau to find a knowing smile curled upon her face. He quickly switched to their private chat to send an all caps message that she completely ignored. Instead, she sent him a quick wink before moving to the introduction of their session for the day. The entire time she spoke all his focus went to not obviously staring at the bottom right camera. It was going to be a long three hours.

* * *

A buzzing in his pocket distracted Caleb from paying attention to the crowd around him, which naturally led to him bumping into another person. “Sorry. I didn't mean-”

“Caleb?”

His eyes went wide when he looked up to find Fjord standing before him with a charming smile on his face. The shock of seeing someone so unexpected caused his brain to stop properly functioning. While he tried to get his thoughts together, he did his best to keep his face from giving too much away. An attempt at a smile in place of a verbal greeting probably came out more like an uncomfortable grimace, but Fjord made no sign of finding it uncomfortable.

“Beau told me you would be here, but I didn't expect to literally run into you.”

“My fault.”

“Well, then thank you for running into me. I was hoping we would meet.”

“You were?”

“Of course. I know we haven't talked much. Honestly, I've been a little intimidated by you. Your videos are amazing and inspirational. Magic has always been interesting to me, but it felt completely out of my reach until I watched one of your videos.”

“Oh, thank you. I...” Knowing Fjord would be able to see the bright blush staining his cheeks, Caleb quickly ducked his head down to look at his shoes. “Your videos are really great.”

“Thanks. I was about to grab lunch. If you're not busy right now, I'd appreciate the company. My treat.”

“That's not necessary.”

“I'm inviting you to lunch. It's on me.”

“I, um, I can do lunch.”

* * *

“Fjord,” Caleb knocked on his office door, then poked his head in when he cracked it open. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were busy.”

“It's fine. I'm taking a little break right now. Did you want to come say hello?"

Despite a momentary hesitation, Caleb moved to lean against the back of Fjord's chair to peek at the screens. “What are you playing?”

“Bioshock.”

“Ah, what number is this?”

“I haven't played it that many times.”

“If you say so.”

“Did you stop by to mock me or was there another reason?”

“I am not mocking you.” He wrapped his arms around Fjord's shoulders and placed a kiss on his temple. “I was going to order something for dinner. What would you like?”

“Whatever you want is fine with me, Cay.”

“Okay. How much longer do you plan to stream?”

“An hour or two, but don't worry about me. I can warm it back up.”

“I will wait an hour before I order.”

“You really don't need to wait for me.”

With a roll of his eyes, Caleb pressed a quick kiss to Fjord's lips. “It is not a problem. I'll let you get back to your stream now.”

“You know that's going to get clipped and make the rounds like that video of us meeting did.”

“At least this time we won't be bombarded with questions about whether we're dating.”

“There are plenty of other questions they'll ask.”

“This is your stream. It's your responsibility to handle it.”

“Thanks for the support.”

“You're welcome, liebling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	42. Prompt 42 - Brjeaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Something Beau Fjord friendship?

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” After dropping next to Fjord on the dock, Beau gently nudged his shoulder with her own. “You know the party is on the boat.”

“Yeah, I just... I needed some fresh air.”

“That is hard to come by on a boat.”

“There's suddenly a lot less fresh air over here. Maybe, I should go back.”

“You're a dick. I'm trying to do my duties as first mate and you're being an asshole about it. I should dump you in the ocean.”

With a sigh, Fjord ran a hand through his hair, then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I'd prefer you didn't. I'm not really in the mood for a swim.”

“You don't say. I never would have guessed.”

“A little less sass would be appreciated. I'm not really in the mood to deal with it right now.”

“Are you in the mood to talk or do you want to be left alone?”

“I don't know. A lot just happened and I'm not sure I fully understand everything. Where do we even go from here? It feels like we've done what we all set out to do.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” A ball bearing flicked through the air to land with an audible plop in the water. “Veth and Caduceus seem ready to get back to their families. Jessie has been spending a lot of time with her mom. Caleb is... I don't know if at peace is the right way to put it, but he's freer.”

“I keep expecting him to go back to Rexxentrum to take them up on their offer to assist with reestablishing the Cerberus Assembly.”

“You think he's going to do it?”

“I don't know. He's an amazing teacher. It's not hard to imagine him working with young students to help them realize they have more potential than they might think. Honestly, I kind of want him to take them up on it. After everything he's been through, it feels like it could bring him... peace?”

“I know what you mean. I'd miss him, but he deserves it.”

Fjord forced himself to straighten up as he let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, he does.”

“But, I don't know that he'd do it without us.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Why are you so worried about what our plan is now? We're a family that wants to stick together. I don't want this to end either. The times I've had with all of you are the best I've had in my life.”

"You could work in Rexxentrum, right? The Cobalt Soul is there.”

"It's hard to explore the world and root out corruption from one location, but it's kind of hard to top ending the war between the Empire and the Dynasty and toppling the Cerberus Assembly.”

"Maybe, it's time to focus on building up.”

“Maybe. What about you? I thought you wanted to spend your life by the sea.”

“With the Wildmother, I always have that connection. I'd want to visit often, but Rexxentrum is nice.”

“It is pretty nice.” Beau threw her arm across his shoulder and leaned against his side. “Are we really doing this? Retire from adventuring and settle down in Rexxentrum? You, me, Caleb and Yasha?”

“It doesn't sound so bad.”

“No, it doesn't. I'll talk to Yasha and you talk to Caleb?”

“Tomorrow?”

“First thing in the morning, Captain.”

“Sounds like a deal, First Mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	43. Prompt 43 - Beauyaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Yasha and Jester solving the bed dilemma by pushing them together.

Jester glanced up from her notebook to see Yasha propped against the wall with her sword across her lap. While she didn't look uncomfortable, Jester couldn't help feeling bad at the thought of Yasha sleeping on the ground. There were two perfectly good beds and more than enough space between them for three people to fit. For all they knew, their upcoming trip would involve a lot of sleeping in strange places with no beds to comfort them. 

After a moment more of indecision, she closed the journal and sat up. “Yasha?”

“Yes, Jester.”

“Are you sure you don't want a bed? There's lots of space. If you don't want to share, Beau and I have shared before. It's not big deal.”

“The floor is okay.”

“But, wouldn't a bed be better? They're super comfortable.”

“I'm used to sleeping on the ground”

“What if we pushed them together? There would be plenty of space and you wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. Look,” Jester hopped off her bed, then shoved it up against the other to form one large bed. “we could all fit!”

“What if they move apart in the middle of the night?”

“That won't happen, unless you're a crazy sleeper. Are you a crazy sleeper, Yasha?”

“Only a little.”

“Then we'll be fine! Beau barely moves at all in her sleep. It's kind of creepy because she'll go completely still and it's hard to tell if she's breathing. Sometimes, I'll put my hand under her nose to make sure she's still alive.”

“Have you noticed that she can sleep with her eyes open? She'll just lean against a wall and fall asleep, but her eyes are you know.” Yasha made her eyes go wide and flared her hands out next to them to emphasize them being open. “It's kind of creepy, but also pretty cool.”

“How do you think she does it? I've tried and I always end up closing my eyes. It's so hard to keep them open!”

“I don't know, but I think I've seen Caleb do it, too. Do you think it's something they teach them when they're little?”

“Oh, like every Empire kid goes through a secret training, so they can sleep with their eyes open. How crazy would that be? Do you think Veth can sleep with her eyes open?”

“I don't know. We could ask.”

“We should definitely ask! There's totally a secret training if she can.”

“We'll ask her in the morning.”

With a nod of agreement, Jester dropped onto the bed and patted the spot next to her. “Come on! If we don't go to sleep, it will take forever for the morning to get here.”

“Are you sure you want to put the beds together like that?”

“I can sleep in the middle if you don't want to. It'll be easy to get to you sword if you're on the outside.”

“Yeah, that would make me feel a little better.”

“Then come on.” Jester shifted to the middle, then gave her previous spot a pat. “I'll take the middle.”

“Thank you, Jester.”

“You don't need to thank me, Yasha. There's plenty of room.”

“Okay. Well, good night, Jester.”

Immediately, Yasha flipped onto her side with her back facing Jester. “Good night, Yasha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	44. Prompt 44 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Youtube!Caleb would totally have a bi-panic live on stream and then have his chat just send him a bunch of a Fjord's videos to watch. They dont care about the previous topic, the new goal for the hive is to see the colors of red Caleb is capable of achieving. Stream just went from explaining a spell to having a live altering moment. Truly a highlight.

“For this one, it is important you leave yourself plenty of room between these two symbols because there is some intricate detail work that you need to connect the two parts. If you don't do it properly, the two aspects of the spell won't be able to harmoniously work together. That is the biggest challenge with this one. The pieces seem like they should not go, but you can bring them together.”

The ridiculous noise Beau forced him to use for his raid alerts drew his attention away from his spell work. While he expected to see Beau's username, his brain short circuited at what he actually saw. He carefully set his quill to the side, so he wouldn't accidentally drip ink on the page and ruin all his work. In the process of desperately trying to get his thoughts together, a tagged message appeared in the chat that only made things worse.

Immediately, his chat noticed the same one he did and began spamming heart emojis that caused his darkening blush to worsen. Despite the urge to hide his face in his hands, he fought the instinct to do so. It took several attempts to clear his throat, but he eventually managed it and focused his attention back on continuing his stream. 

“Thank you for the raid, Fjord. Um, hello to those joining us. We're in the middle of transcribing the spell Water Breathing.” His next thought disappeared as he noticed the new direction chat sudden took. “Why are you all sending messages with video titles?”

As he waited for one of his mods to respond, the list of video steady grew to the point he considered slowing the chat. At the sight of Astrid's response, he paused midway there to turn a glare to the camera. Even though he knew she was laughing at him, Caleb sat back with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I was not panicking. It was just unexpected. The only people that raid me are Beau and Jester.” The blush he tried so hard to will away flared back up at Astrid's next series of messages. “You can watch Fjord's videos on your own time. I don't need to do a watch party. I'm not even set up for that. I'm in the middle of transcribing a spell. Reacting to videos isn't something I do. I wouldn't know what to say.”

Despite his words, his eyes stayed on chat instead of going back to his transcribing to get the stream back on track. Most of them still consisted of video titles, but a few of them asked him to actually watch some of the videos. It wasn't until one mentioned the video of him meeting Fjord that he began speaking again.

“If you stop talking about that video, I will play one of his videos. Let me put on my favorite one.”

After carefully moving his supplies out of the way, he switched the stream to his computer screen and pulled up YouTube. It was easy enough to find the video of Fjord playing with a large German Shepherd that kept nipping at his heels, then running circles around the yard. With that playing in the background, he went back to chat hoping the meet video talk died down.

“I did know he has dice making videos, but I have not gotten around to watching any of them. I like his horror let's plays. They are very good.” In the time it took him to select a new video, the entire chat went from innocent questions to encouragement that screamed of meddling from Astrid and Eodwulf. “We have met one time. That's... Okay. I think I am going to wrap up today's stream here. Tomorrow we will finish the water breathing spell. Please don't fill my Twitter with links to Fjord's videos or tag him in posts about me. I am subscribed to him, so... Yeah, this is a disaster. Thank you for coming. Enjoy the rest of your day. Bye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	45. Prompt 45 - Mighty Nein (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Only one of the clerics has Word of Recall and they need to escape. One member will have to stay behind, and will most likely be captured. The rest can (and probably will) come back to rescue them. Who gets left behind? (Have at for ships)

“Fuck!” Beau clutched at the wound on her side as she leaned heavily against the nearest tree. “We have to get out of here. We're completely outnumbered. Caleb?”

“I can't. I am exhausted. That took everything I had.”

With a huff, Beau shoved off the tree to look between the two clerics. “What about that sanctuary thing? That can get us out of here, right?”

While Caduceus gave a calm nod of his head, Jester kicked nervously at the ground and bit at her lip. Her eyes flicked from one member of the Nein to the next before they landed back on Beau. It wasn't until Caduceus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder that she shook her head.

“I can't, and the spell can only take six of us.”

“Then we'll figure something else out.”

“Like what? Caleb and I are out of spells. Most of us are barely standing. There are so many of them. What do we do?”

After a moment to consider his next words carefully, Caleb gently guided Beau to Caduceus's side. “You go. I will stay.”

“But, Caleb, they'll-”

“They are going to be here any moment and it is better they find one of us than all of us. I am completely vulnerable. It's completely believable that I would get separated from the rest of you. I will be a bargaining chip in their eyes.”

“We can't leave you to them.”

“There is not time to argue. Caduceus, please.”

“Wait, no.” Before Caduceus could even respond, Fjord stepped into Caleb's space to take all his attention. “You can't be serious. We can't leave you here. We don't know what they would do with you. They were torturing people.”

“Fjord, I can handle it.”

Rough fingers slipped under his sleeve to caress the many scars littering his forearms. “How are we going to get back to help you? We need you. I can stay.”

“You are resourceful. I trust you to figure it out.”

“Caleb-”

Before Fjord could argue further, Caleb pushed onto the tips of his toes for a firm kiss the immediately cut off his sentence. His hands gripped Fjord's as tightly as he could manage at the same time, he took a step back from him. The broken expression on Fjord's face caused his lungs to constrict painfully, but he refused to let that stop him.

“We'll make it work. We always do.”

“Eight hours. Hold on for eight hours. Promise me.”

“You have to go.”

A growl of frustration fell from Fjord's lips that cut off when he jerked forward for a kiss that tasted more of blood than anything else. “We will be back for you. No matter what happens, remember that. You have to remember that.”

“I trust you, Fjord.” Caleb placed his hands on Fjord's chest and gave him a gentle shove away. “Eight hours, I'll be counting.”

“Not a second longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	46. Prompt 46 - Beauyaster (Hinted Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Please do a follow up where Beau comes up to find the beds pushed together. Does she try to sleep on the floor?

The pleasant buzz of alcohol running through her system caused her steps to land heavier than normal. Despite the slight sway to the room, her drunkenness didn't lead to a visit with the floor as she weaved her way through the room to reach the stairs. With the aid of the handrail, she climbed the stairs at a much slower pace than normal. As soon as she hit the landing, her eyes roamed the hall for the room Jester booked them for the evening.

A door at the end of the hall opened wide enough for a head to poke out and look at her. Fjord shifted to lean casually against the doorframe with a smirk on his stupid face. The finger she flipped him, only caused the smirk to grow wider much to her annoyance. It wasn't until she took a few steps down the hall that he finally said something to her.

“It's that one.”

“I know.”

“You didn't know shit.”

“Shouldn't you be asleep?”

“Someone had to make sure you made it up alive. Did you kill anyone?”

“No.”

“Good. Can you make it to bed?”

“I made it all the way up here.”

“Yeah, and you look about ready to fall over.” Despite his words, Fjord made no move away from the doorframe. “Are you planning to stand there all night or are you going to sleep at some point?”

“Where is all this sass coming from?”

“Too drunk to handle it?”

“Dick.”

“Go to sleep and that won't be a problem.”

“You're always a problem. You're a pain in the ass.”

“I could say the same about you.”

“Well, nobody asked you, so...”

While her sentence trailed off, Beau managed her way down the hall to the door Fjord pointed at earlier. After a few tries, the key slipped into the lock, allowing her to unlock the door and pull it open. The sight of both beds pushed together with Yasha and Jester curled up on them caused her to freeze in the doorway. When she finally got control of her limbs again, she turned to Fjord and gestured at the room.

“It's a bed.”

“What do I do?”

“Go to sleep.”

Her glare didn't affect Fjord in the slightest. "I'm sleeping with you.”

“Uh, no. You're sleeping in there.”

“You and Caleb can share a bed.”

“Yes, we can because we're two adults that understand the value of sleep and a comfortable bed. However, you weren't invited to sleep with us. You were invited to sleep in there with them. There's space on the bed. Go to sleep.”

“I'll sleep on the floor.”

“You will not sleep on the floor. Why do you think they pushed them together? Just get in the bed.”

“That's easy for you to say. You don't have to do it.”

Fjord's eyebrow rose as he moved across his room to drop on the same bed Caleb and Frumpkin were curled up on. An annoyed pair of blue eyes glanced between them, then Caleb rolled onto his other side to put his back to them. With another stupid smirk, Fjord reclined back with his arms crossed behind his head.

“Dick.” Before turning back to the room, Beau huffed in annoyance. “Fuck it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	47. Prompt 47 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (I love your take on this so much, that I'm sending you more ideas for it.) How Caleb's stream found out about Fjord probably came through Beau. 100% raided him and linked the video as the message. Beau was trying to get them to talk for weeks and it isn't until she did that that it finally happened. Live, embarrassed, and 100% against Caleb's will and Fjord's knowledge. It totally got clipped too.

After rolling his wrist a few times, Caleb set aside his quill and looked over the completed spell before him. Three streams in the making and he was more than happy to be able to call this complete. He switched his main camera to his face camera, then leaned back in his chair to read the chat rolling by.

“This will go up on YouTube. I will also put together a sped-up video for this spell.” As he waited for the round of questions that always followed a completed spell, a notification of a raid popped up. “Hello, Beauregard. What are you linking? You know this is a family friendly channel. It better not be anything inappropriate.”

On his second screen, he pulled up the link and cocked his head in confusion at the YouTube video that came up. Before he could scroll down to check the title, the sound of people talking began filling his headphones. He paused partway down when his own voice met his ears to his immense confusion, until Fjord's voice suddenly joined in. Horror froze his vein as he realized what Beau sent for his entire chat to watch. As soon as he got control of his body once again, he quickly shut the tab and darted his eyes to the chat.

Red filled his cheeks when he was met with a bunch of heart emojis and messages with all caps talking about the video. He covered his mouth with his hand to prevent an embarrassing noise from slipping out on accident. It took every ounce of self-control to not wrap the top of his cardigan around his face to hide from the camera.

A ringing in his ears pulled his attention away from his freak out to his computer where Beau's name flashed on his Discord screen. Even though he was tempted to hang up, he answered the call and prepared for an onslaught from Beau. The laughter that greeted him heated his cheeks further, but he refused to give her the satisfaction of immediately hanging up. He leaned back in his chair and dropped his hand down to clutch his cardigan against his chest.

“Why are you hiding the video? It's so cute.”

“Why did you send this to my chat?”

“I just told you why.”

“No one needs to see this.”

“The entire world should see it. It's a shame that more people haven't. I am doing your chat a great service.”

“You are embarrassing me. That's the only reason you are doing this.”

“How am I embarrassing you?” The faux indignation in Beau's voice had him rolling his eyes in response. “Have you even spoken to him since then? I know he gave you his number.”

“I regret that I ever met you. You are the worst friend.”

“If you didn't have me, you would be miserable.”

“I am pretty sure that I am miserable because of you.”

“As much as I want to argue with you, I need to eat. Chat, I expect you to all watch that video and get it through Caleb's thick skull that he should talk to Fjord. Those two idiots are perfect for each other. Spread the word.”

“Please don't. There is no word that needs to be spread. Instead, we should focus on the next spell. Beau, leave. Stop posting the link in my chat. We are moving on.” Before he set up for a new spell, a clip appeared in the chat that he immediately regretted checking. “Why are you like this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	48. Prompt 48 - Mighty Nein (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Mighty Nein is captured. The group will allow all but one free. Caleb has to pick who has to stay and can't take their place. Also, say magic doesn't work in the cells, so no teleporting out of them. The one staying behind will know Caleb left them there. But also will know the lot will come back to save them.

A sharp tug on the chain connected to the collar around his neck sent him sprawling forward onto his front. His hands flexed uselessly in the full hand restraints keeping them locked behind his back. The muzzle around his mouth blocked the sound of his yelp when a large hand clamped down on shoulder to tug him up. Their captor stood over him with a twisted grin stretching across his face.

“It seems it would better benefit us for your little group to do some of our dirty work for us. Of course, we have to keep someone here to ensure you are incentivized to complete your task. As much as I'm sure you would prefer to stay, this requires a wizard's knowledge. However, I will allow you to pick which one will stay.” With a sweep of his hand, he stepped to the side to reveal his friends chained and gagged in line. “Obviously, you can't speak, so just look at the one you would like to stay behind.”

His eyes darted from one person to the next as his blood thundered in his ears and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. While he knew they didn't plan to harm whoever stayed behind, there was no way they would complete the mission they planned to send them on. They would take some time to come up with a vague idea of a plan, then turn right around to rescue them. If they caught onto that before they reached the cells...

When he locked eyes with Beau, her steely gaze spoke a demand that he wanted nothing more than to ignore but knew he couldn't. Most of their party would struggle to fight back in these magic blocking restraints and without weapons. Beau knew how to make any part of her body a weapon that could crush someone to pieces. The restraints would make it difficult, but she was by far the best fit to put up a fight.

“It seems a decision has been made. This one will stay with us.” The person behind Beau yanked her up by the collar, then began tugging her out of the room. “Don't worry. She'll be safe here with us. Safer than any of you will be at the very least. That should give you some comfort.”

His spindly fingers ran through Caleb's hair a few times, like one might to a pet, and gave the ends a light tug before pulling away. With a snap of his fingers, everyone was pulled up from the ground and directed out of the room. As they passed the cells they were kept in, Caleb caught a brief glance of Beau as the door slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	49. Prompt 49 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Soul-bound Fjord and Caleb have to now tell the rest of the Nein. Also, oops we almost sank the ship with blood magic

“We have to tell them.”

“Or we could not.”

“Fjord,” As much as he would prefer to keep this between them, he knew the implications of this new bond between them were too great to ignore. “we have to tell them. Our souls are now bound. If something were to happen to one of us, there could be unexpected consequences. It is not fair to keep that from the others.”

“We just have to be careful, until we figure out how it works.”

“If this happened with any of the others that would be possible, but I do not have a good track record of staying on my feet.”

“I'll be better about protecting you.”

“You don't think that will cause questions? Why would you suddenly become my personal protector?”

“I... I've been trying. Obviously, I haven't been doing a very good job, but I hate seeing you go down. It's terrifying, and it shouldn't happen. We're supposed to work together to protect each other. It's not fair to you that we can keep everyone else-”

“Fjord,” Despite the throbbing pain, Caleb placed his cut palm over Fjord's pounding heart. “I did not mean to imply that you or the others have been failing me because of my shortcomings. My point was we cannot keep it from them because it is very likely I will go down in the next fight we get into. We have to tell them.”

“It's not a shortcoming.”

“Members of a group are expecting to hold their own weight. I am using up valuable resources and a liability in a fight.”

“You don't think you're holding your own? You pushed yourself to the point of exhaustion to crack Avantika's journal, your wall of fire saved us, and you prevented her from putting it out to let us get away. In what world is that not holding your own? You do the incredible all the time for us. I couldn't have done any of that, but I could have protected you better. I can protect you.”

“If we are getting into semantics, I am only alive because of you. They would have killed me, but you got me out of there and brought me back when they nearly did.”

A hand gently threaded through the hair behind his ear to cup his skull in a gentle hold as Fjord dropped his forehead to his to rest them against each other. To prevent his hand from getting stuck between them, Caleb slid it from his chest up his arm to grasp Fjord's wrist. He gave his wrist a soft squeeze, then flicked his eyes down to look at their feet.

“We promised to make this work. We can't keep something like this from the others.”

“Yeah, you're right. That probably means we'll have to include how we almost sank the ship.”

“They will probably be able to make the connection either way.”

With a loud groan, Fjord tipped his head back to look up at the night sky twinkling with stars above them. “How mad do you think they'll be?”

“How mad is who going to be about what?" The slight jump from both of them at Beau's voicing brought a pleased smirk to her face. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

“No, we just... There's something we should all talk about. Are the others around?”

Beau made a show of looking around the ship. “There aren't a lot of places to go.”

“Very funny. You know what I mean.”

“They're all around here somewhere. Want me to gather them up, captain?”

“Yeah, just tell them we have something important to discuss. It shouldn't take long.”

“Sure thing, captain.” After looking between them one last time, Beau disappeared back the way she came to collect the rest of the Nein.

“This will go fine, right?”

“I'm sure Nott will only shoot you a few times.”

“Very comforting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	50. Prompt 50 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Oh Oh Oh! I have a Stream!Caleb idea! Frumpkin accidentally starts Caleb's stream early, and all the chat sees is him just doe-eyed over Fjord's newest video. When he finally realizes it, a half hour later, he must goes full Cardigan Turtle.
> 
> Now, with super adorable Caleb Cardigan Turtle art by Ayzenigma that you can find on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ayzenigma/status/1326350473780031488) and [Tumblr](https://ayzenigma.tumblr.com/post/634452756699217920/caleb-makes-for-a-very-cute-cardigan-turtle-3)!

“Be careful, Frumpkin.” Before he could step on any more keys, Caleb plucked him off the keyboard to settle him in his lap instead. “There we go. Did you want to want to watch Fjord's new video together?”

A soft purr rumbled against his chest as Frumpkin rubbed his head beneath Caleb's chin and gave him a little lick. He pressed a kiss to the top of Frumpkin's head, then returned his attention to the video. The steady sound of Fjord's voice helped settle his anxiety, allowing him to slump comfortably in his chair with his knees pulled up to his chest. Throughout the entire video, he ran a hand along Frumpkin's spine and used the other to message Beau.

As the video drew to a close, an unexpected ringing from his phone almost caused him to dump Frumpkin on the floor. A picture of a grinning Fjord with his hair slightly ruffled from a breeze took up most of the screen. He swiped his finger across the screen to answer the call, then tucked his phone between his head and shoulder.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Cay. I, uh, just raided you on Twitch.”

Confusion washed over Caleb as he straightened up in his chair and began reaching for his mouse. “I'm not streaming right now. I was watching your new video.”

“I noticed. That's why I called.”

“I...”

The rest of his sentence died off when his shaking fingers finally managed to pull up his stream. While his eyes refused to focus on it, he could see the chat flying by and all the alerts he missed. He immediately shrank down in his chair and pulled up his cardigan up to completely cover his face. With the fabric in the way, Fjord's voice sounded muffled, but he could still hear him.

“You look like a very cute turtle right now.”

“You hate turtles.”

A low chuckle came from the other line. “You got me there. However, that doesn't make you look like any less of a very cute turtle. Definitely the cutest I've ever seen.”

“You're not helping.”

“What would help?”

“I don't know. Can you go back in time and stop Frumpkin from starting the stream?”

“That's more of your area of expertise than mine. How about you entertain your viewers with some more videos you enjoy while I go pick us up some ice cream? I'll join you for some chatting.”

“I had plans for the stream today.” Caleb looked sadly at supplies sitting at the other table but knew his hands would be far too shaky to use them. “How long?”

“Fifteen. I'm already out the door.”

“Okay. Thank you, Fjord.”

“You're welcome. Now, come out of that adorable shell of yours, and entertain your chat. I'll be there soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	51. Prompt 51 - Empire Siblings (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Welcome this secret podcast by Beau featuring Caleb. This episode they talk about cults, history, and trying to communicate with a crush but end up looking stupid. Otherwise known as the "Caleb hasn't stopped listening to every video by a guy with a nice voice for the past week so he's entirely unhelpful." Which is then quickly followed by: "I ran into him at a coffee shop like a bad cliche but he's hot and I panicked and I forgot to give him my number because I said I forgot to call my cat."

“As always, we're going to end off with a listener question that has nothing to do with history. I picked this one specific for you, Caleb.”

“That is worrying.”

“I don't know why it would be. You're the perfect person to ask.” Beau dramatically cleared her throat, then spoke in a lovestruck tone. “I met the guy of my dreams, but whenever I try to talk to him I end up looking like an idiot. I've tried planning ahead of time what to say and it never works. I don't know what to do. Help!”

“Why did I agree to do this podcast with you?”

“What? You don't want to help them out?”

“That is not it at all and you know it.”

“Then why won't you answer the question.”

After taking a moment to recompose himself, Caleb took a deep breath. “You could answer this question better than I could.”

“Well, I thought it would be better for you to start by sharing your recent experience with this, so they don't feel so alone.”

“You are just trying to embarrass me.”

“No, I'm helping a listener. Spill the beans.”

“Fine.” Caleb nervously tapped his finger against his leg to prevent the mic from picking it up. “I stumbled upon a YouTube channel, and the creator has a lovely voice. I watched a bunch of his videos in the span of a few weeks. This weekend I happened to run into him at a coffee shop. As soon as he opened his mouth, I recognized his voice. He is incredibly attractive. Naturally, I completely panicked and told him I had to leave because I forgot to call my cat. Are you satisfied, Beauregard?”

“That story gets better every time.”

“Fuck you.”

When Beau's laughter finally died down, she had to take a few seconds to get her breathing back under control. “So, to those of you with a similar problem, don't do what Caleb did and you'll be fine.”

“That is the least helpful advice you have ever given. You could give good advice for this, but you're just using this question as a chance to embarrass me.”

“Maybe.”

“Why don't you tell them how you worked through your incredibly awkward first few dates with Jester and Yasha? That would be more helpful to them.”

“You can admit that you need the advice.”

“I don't need the advice because I will never see him again. It was a random chance meeting.”

“If you say so.” Before he could ask why she said that, Beau continued speaking. “The best advice I can give is do your best to be yourself. The people that care about you and want to get to know you better will understand it will take time for you to be completely comfortable around them. Be patient and the conversation will come in time. Anything you want to add, Caleb?”

“Don't tell them you have to call your cat, and you'll be fine.”

“I don't know why you thought they needed my advice.”

“No idea. It's such a common excuse for people to make.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	52. Prompt 52 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Can you please a follow up to the last prompt with the group leaving Beau. Either the rescue itself, or the follow up?

“Let me help.” Nimble fingers plucked the roll of bandages from her hand to finish wrapping her injured shoulder.

“Since when are you a healer?”

“I've had plenty of practice with this.”

Her eyes instinctively flicked to the thick scars covering his forearms that popped into view long enough to grab the antiseptic. “No one ever did this for you?”

“I imagine you were expected to learn how to patch your own wounds.”

“Sure, but I doubt we had similar learning experiences.”

“I would hope so.”

Silence fell between them while Caleb focused on cleaning out the wound on her lower back and she did her best to hold back pained noises. As soon as he finished, Caleb placed a comforting hand on her side for the briefest of moments. The hand was immediately replaced by bandages that he wrapped securely around her torso. Once he was satisfied with his work, Caleb moved in front of her with the bandages still in hand.

“Where else?”

“That's it.” When Caleb raised his eye at her, Beau rolled her eyes at him. “Most of it is bruises. I'm pretty sure you got out worse than I did.”

“We took longer than we should have.”

“But you came back.”

“Was that ever in question?”

“No, but I thought you could use the reminder.”

“Of the two of us, I am not the one that you should concern yourself with.”

“Really? You seem to be taking this harder than I am.”

A heavy sigh fell from Caleb's lips as he grabbed her hand to check the bloody knuckles. “Things have not gone well for our group when taken. Fjord, Jester and Yasha were almost sold into slavery. Veth was killed and had her body turned against her. Yasha... I would prefer to prevent any of the rest of you from having to go through anything like that again.”

“Funny.”

“What is?”

“You left yourself off the list.”

“I don't think my situation counts as being captured. Also, that is not the point.”

“What is the point?”

“You can talk about it.” He carefully dragged the soaked cloth over her knuckles to clean away the blood. “If you want to.”

“There's not much to talk about. That asshole liked the sound of his own voice. They didn't even try to touch me, until they realized you weren't following his orders. It's not a big deal.”

“You shouldn't have been left behind at all.”

“If you didn't pick, he would have chosen for you. You made the right choice. They were blocking magic, and no one had weapons. I'm the only one that wasn't at a disadvantage.”

“They bound your hands.”

“Do you really think they taught us how to patch ourselves up and not how to handle having our hands tied in a fight?”

“Excuse me for worrying.”

A light kick to Caleb's knee earned her a half-hearted glare from him. “We all got out alive. No one is more traumatized than before all that went down. What is there to worry about?”

“Leave the comforting to someone else.”

“Stop looking at me like a sad cat, and I'll stop trying to comfort you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	53. Prompt 53 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beau and Caleb get captured by a anti-human group somewhere in Xhorhas.

“I'll only ask this one more time.” The hand gripping Caleb's hair tugged his head back to better expose his throat to the dagger pressed against this. “Why are you here?”

“We told you why.”

“You expect me to believe that a couple of humans from the Empire are here to help the Dynasty? Especially one that stinks of the Cerberus Assembly.”

“I am not a member of the Assembly.”

“Really?”

The hands tied behind Caleb's back were suddenly cut free, so they could be tugged in front of him. His sleeves were forced up to his elbows, exposing the scars littering his forearms for all to see. Nails dug hard enough into his wrist to draw blood as they lifted his arm and gave it a rough shake.

“Do you think we don't know what this means? Your kind normally do a better job of sticking to the shadows. It was stupid of you to walk in the open like that.”

Fearful eyes met Beau's when the dagger began drawing blood where it dug into his throat. “I am not one of them.”

“You won't be able to talk your way out of this. No spells will save you now.”

Before Caleb could say anything else, the one holding him quickly drew the dagger across his throat. For a moment, his breath came out a wet gurgle, then all light left his eyes and his body slumped forward. While she wanted nothing more than to struggle against the tight bonds wrapped around her, Beau remained perfectly still. When their eyes all focused on her, she lifted her chin in defiance and waited for the questions to come.

“If you were counting on your wizard friend to get you out of here, that is no longer an option. It would be in your best interest to consider your options very careful.” A hand tightened the gag preventing her from saying a word. “We'll give you time to think about it.”

Rather than take his body with them, they left Caleb slumped on the floor in the steadily growing puddle of his own blood. As soon as the door locked behind them, Beau dragged her body across the cell. Despite the ropes, she managed to shuffle over his body to check for any sign of breathing. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes when she didn't feel or hear anything.

“Caleb, come on. You promised to stick around. Don't leave me alone here. Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	54. Prompt 54 - Widofjord (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Prompt in which Fjord is a sea witch, Caleb is still a wizard, and it's a mess of mutual pining. Caleb things Fjord is very pretty and Fjord thinks Caleb is funny, even if his face seems to change colors a lot. Beau just has had enough and shoves them alone together so they can realize they're both dumb and kiss.

“Beauregard, what are we doing?” All his attempts to stop walking were thwarted by a hand pressing firmly between his shoulder blades. “I have responsibilities tonight. I can't just ignore them.”

“Don't worry about it. I have it covered.”

“What do you mean you have it covered?”

“Exactly what I said. You don't need to worry about your responsibilities tonight because I have them covered, so you can spend all your time with Fjord.”

“That is a horrible idea. Do you not remember how poorly things went the last time we spoke?”

“Stop exaggerating. It wasn't that bad.”

“I hardly said an intelligent word to him.”

Her hand paused on a balcony door handle, then she turned to him with a firm look. “For once in your life, stop overthinking. Fjord thinks you are an incredibly smart and powerful magic user that can't control his face.”

“My face?”

“Have you ever seen him blush?”

“That's...” As the realization dawned on Caleb, red began to stain his pale cheeks. “Why are you just now telling me this?”

“I was fruitlessly hoping that the two of you would stop awkwardly dancing around each other, but I've had enough. You think he's cute and enjoy spending time with him. He thinks you're funny, for some reason, and enjoys spending time with you. Do something about it.”

“Beau, this doesn't seem like a good idea.”

“What did I say about overthinking it?”

“Stop.”

“Exactly.”

With a wide smile, Beau open the balcony door and gave him a firm shove across the threshold. When he almost lost his footing, a pair of hands caught him gently around the waist to prevent him from taking a fall. His own hands instinctively reached up to catch himself against a firm chest before he could stop himself. The blush from earlier came back full force as he lifted his eyes to meet Fjord's gaze.

“Are you okay?” The soft squeeze to his hip at the end of his question almost short circuited his brain. “Caleb?”

“I am good. Thank you for catching me, Fjord.”

“You're welcome.”

At the same time he cleared his throat, Caleb let his hands drop to nervously mess with the buttons of his coat. “It is good to see you tonight. I hope you are enjoying yourself.”

“The evening is much more enjoyable now. I thought you would be too busy to have time for me.”

“I have been informed that my duties for the evening are over.”

“Really?”

“Ja, I have suddenly found myself free for the evening.”

“In that case,” The hands at his waist slipped away as Fjord took a step back and offered one out to him. “would you care to dance?”

“I would love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	55. Prompt 55 - Mighty Nein (Empire Siblings/Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: (I've been rewatching the Overlord anime, so you can thank that for this prompt.) Caleb joins a popular mmorpg, he plays with Wulf and Astrid, they leave, he later meets some people, then becomes friends, and then gets introduced to their friends. Then, when they find out his old group of friends aren't active, invite him to the guild. Then he meets the others and then it spirals from there. (Put whatever pairing you like! Have fun! Hope you have a nice day! <3)

“It took you long enough.” The fake annoyance in Beau's voice had him rolling his eyes at the screen. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“You're joining us.”

“For what?”

“You are leaving your shitty, boring guild and joining ours. So, follow me. I'm introducing you to everyone.”

“I don't-”

“I'm going to stop you right there because it is a fantastic idea. You started playing this to spend time with friends, right?”

“Ja.”

“And you were planning on quitting, until you went on that raid with us, right?”

“Ja.”

“That means we are your friends now and you should join our guild. Now, let's go. I don't have all day.”

“Are you sure your other friends won't mind?”

“Jess has literally been begging us to ask you to join. None of them will mind. They all want to meet you.”

With a nervous release of air, Caleb finally moved his character to follow the monk that was slowly inching away from him. “Are they all on right now?”

“Fjord's the only one on right now, but the others will be on later.”

“How many people is it?”

“There's seven of us, but you already know me, Veth and Yasha. Caddy is the nicest person you'll ever meet. Jess is excitable, but she always means well. Molly can be a dick. If he says anything that makes you uncomfortable, just tell him to fuck off.”

“And Fjord?”

“He's a nice guy. I think the two of you will get along really well.” A strange teasing tone at the end had him pausing to carefully consider her words. “Are you coming or what?”

“Why did you say it that way?”

“Say what what way?”

“You are intentionally trying to confuse me. Why did you say it that way?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Before he could say anything else, her character disappeared into a building that he quickly followed her into. For the most part, the tavern was surprisingly empty, only a few NPC and one other player character besides him and Beau. The name Captain Tusktooth floated above their head, which fit with the nautical theme of the character. He barely had time to take in that much before Beau's loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hey, captain. Are you actually there?”

A heavy sigh filled his ears followed by a lovely voice. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

“You shouldn't have named yourself Captain Tusktooth if you didn't want us to call you captain. That was your choice."

“I don't know why I'm friends with any of you.”

“Well, I brought you a new friend, so you can get rid of us if you want. This is Caleb. Caleb, this is Fjord. I've got something I need to go do, so be nice while I'm gone.”

The sudden departure of Beau put him immediately on edge as he found himself left alone with someone he didn't know. To his great relief, Fjord took the initiative of speaking first, so he didn't have to struggle through an awkward introduction.

“That wasn't at all subtle. It's nice to finally meet you, Caleb. I've heard a lot about you from the others.”

“Hello. I hope nothing bad.”

“Not at all. Only good things.”

“That is surprising. Beauregard does not strike me as one to hand out compliments.”

A pleasant laugh immediately caused heat to rise in his cheeks from the unexpected reaction. “Please tell me you normally call her by her full name.”

“Should I not?”

“No, you absolutely should. I've never met someone that calls her by her full name that she continues to speak to. Please never stop.”

“I had not planned to, but I will be sure not to since you asked.”

“You're going to fit in perfectly with us.”

“I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	56. Prompt 56 - Brjeaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What if, under Bazzoxan, Beau failed her original Wisdom save while she was sitting on the cliff for the gibbering whispers under the bridge and just walks off without a rope to catch her?

While he didn't hear the sound of the ball bearing hitting the ground, a strange whispering filled the air. His momentary confusion turned into pure terror when Beau suddenly leaned dangerous forward. Before he could reach her, the weight of leaning forward sent her falling over the edge into the darkness.

Without thinking, he jumped over the edge after her right into the darkness of the unknown below them. To his surprise, he hit something squishy much quicker than he anticipated, only causing him a slight burst of pain. It wasn't until he felt teeth sinking into him that he realized what the mound beneath him was alive. Despite the pain, all his focus went to searching for Beau in the mass of flesh around him.

“Beau?” A fist suddenly connected with his chin causing his tusks to cut his upper lip. “What the fuck?”

The next fist barely missed the side of his face giving him a moment to get his thoughts in order. When another strike didn't come, he reached in the direction the fist came from in the hopes he'd find Beau. Familiar fabric met his fingers that he quickly twisted his them into, so he had a firm grip on Beau. A splash of water erupted from his blade, then the jerk of thunder step sent them safely back to the rest of the group.

“What the fuck was that?”

With a groan, Beau dropped behind Caleb on the ground and leaned backward onto him. “Something with a lot of mouths.”

“Why did you go down there?”

“I didn't want to!”

“It looked like you did.”

“Fuck you, man. If we're not quiet crossing this thing, we're going to end up that thing's dinner.”

“I know your thing is research, but I think we all would have been fine without you going down there to figure that out. We didn't need to know that is down there.”

“At least we know it's not a deadly fall.” Something flicked out of Beau's hand that struck him in the middle of the forehead. “Next time, you're the one that tosses a ball bearing into the abyss.”

“Or we could learn our lesson, and not throw things into the darkness.”

“That doesn't sound like us.”

“It's called character growth.”

“That definitely doesn't sound like us.”

“That's a load of bullshit.”

Beau gave a lazy shrug as her eyes slipped closed. “Whatever you say. We're still going to mess with stuff we shouldn't, especially you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	57. Prompt 57 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: But what if, the nine eyes thing don't all come at once. What if, one day while the Nein are traveling/chasing/fighting Molly, one of them notices the eye on Beau's tattoo is red

The determined crunch of Beau's boots through the snow was at such a fast pace that the rest of them could hardly keep up with her. Her eyes were completely focused straight ahead of her with no care for anything around her. Her complete lack of interest in any of their surroundings caused a growing uncertainty to build in his gut.

As they crested over a mound, Caleb quickened his pace to catch up with her, only to pause just before reaching her. A strange red glow emanated from her upper back where her tattoo normally gave off a jade shimmer. The uncertainty turned into full blown concern that had him instinctively reaching out a hand for her shoulder.

“Beauregard?”

A hand snapped up to grab his wrist in a bruising hold that caused him to let out a hiss of pain. When he attempted to jerk away from her, fingernails dug into his wrist to the point that he could feel blood being drawn. Before he could open his mouth to say something, his eyes flicked up to find Beau's glowing the same red as her tattoo. On his next attempt to pull away, her fingers tightened to the point that he felt some of the bones in his wrist break.

“Beauregard, let go!”

Her free hand whipped across his face for a firm strike that made his ears ring and his vision to blur. Rather than fight back or try to break away again, he stood completely still and waited to see what she would do next. A strange grin appeared on her face, then she began tugging him down the mound to prevent the others from catching up.

“That's a smart boy.” The layers of her voice sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold. “It's easier if you don't run.”

“What do you want?”

“Now, now, let's not ruin everything. All we want to do is talk. Isn't that what you want? What both of you are searching for? Answers.”

“That depends on the answers.”

“You'll have to wait to find out whether the answers were worth it. Doesn't that sound like fun?”

“No, but we do not have much of a choice.”

The smile on her face took on a dark tone as her lips pulled further back than they normally would. “Of course, you have a choice. The rest of you are welcome to leave whenever you want, but this one will come to us.”

“Why? Why her?”

“She bares the mark. We are bringing her where she belongs.”

“She won't go alone.”

“You are welcome to join her. It's not far now.”

“Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	58. Prompt 58 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you’re still taking prompts, maybe Fjord and Calebs blood pact talked about more? Like Fjord has never felt wizardly magic exhaustion before, how it mentally and physically exhausts someone.

While it was a difficult battle, the bone deep exhaustion that slammed into him as soon as the adrenaline wore off was unlike anything he experienced before. It wasn't just the physical feeling of exhaustion-aching muscles, stinging wounds, pounding headache. He mentally felt too exhausted to string together his thoughts in a meaningful way. The only clear thought in his head was a deep desire to find a comfortable spot to curl up for a long nap.

Despite wanting nothing more than to sleep, Fjord forced himself to go about his typical post-battle business. He plucked every book off the shelves and grabbed whatever looked like it might be useful or magical in nature. His arms were nearly full by the time he wandered over to Caleb to gently set the items in a neat pile in front of him. Tired eyes glanced up at him for a brief moment, then turned down to look at the pile of stuff in front of him. A small smile tugged up the corners of his lips as he shuffled through the books.

“Something good?”

“Ja, a few things.” After carefully setting the books to the side, he separated out the remaining items. “There might be a couple bingos in here.”

“How many are we talking?”

“I won't know until I identify all of these. It will take time.”

“In that case, we should probably wait to find out. I don't think it's a good idea to hang around this place.”

“You will need to put these in the bag.”

“I can do that.”

As he bent down to retrieve the items, a wide yawn had him pausing to prevent himself from accidentally losing balance. When he opened his eyes once again, a curious expression greeted him that he hadn't been expecting. He quickly put everything in the bag, including the book, then reached out a hand to help Caleb to his feet. After a slow blink at him, Caleb accepted the help and kept their scarred hands clasped together once he rose.

“Bad night's sleep?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“You are not one to yawn after battles.”

“Yeah, I...” He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, then quickly dropped his hand to his side. “I'm not sure why. Just tired, I guess.”

“Maybe, Jester or Caduceus should look you over.”

“It's nothing to worry about. Nothing weird happened. I'm just tired, physically and mentally, which is unusual, but it's nothing to be concerned about.”

A slight squeeze of his hand drew his eyes down to Caleb's nimble fingers that gave a firmer squeeze when he saw them. “I have a feeling I know why.”

“You do?”

“Well, this connection has caused us to experience some of each other's emotions. It is not outlandish to think that the connection could grow in time.”

“Which means?”

“When your magic does not come from an outside source, it relies completely on you to pull it from the world and act as a conduit to cast.”

“That sounds exhausting."

“Ja, it is.”

When the implication of Caleb's words finally clicked, Fjord's mouth dropped open in a silent _o_. “Are you always this exhausted after battles?”

“That depends on how much magic I have to use. It is not always so bad.”

“But it's always exhausting?”

“Fights tend to be. It is just one of those things, you know.”

“Here.” Without unclasping their hands, Fjord knelt to the ground and motioned with his other hand for Caleb to get on his back. “We still have a ways to go.”

“You don't need-”

“No, but I want to. If I'm feeling this exhausted, it's a miracle you're still on your feet.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

“It's the least I can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	59. Prompt 59 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Orcs and half orcs in DnD canonically get very protective over those whom they see as family. So Fjord getting very protective of Caleb might not even regrester with the others. Caleb's squishy and can only take a hit or two, of course Fjord is going to be a bit more protective of him then the others, who can take more hits. He still gets protective of them when they're hurt, and it took forever for fjord to actually get protective of Caleb. So the group never brings it up, meanwhile fjord is just like "shit, fuck, everyone's gonna figure out my crush"

With a groan, Beau picked herself up off the ground where the tail of the dragon threw her just before Jester dealt the final blow. Blood soaked her side from the claws that tore through her skin at the beginning of the battle. She pressed a hand to the wound to stem the blood flow, then stumbled her way over the cracked ground to the rest of the group. Her path led her to where Caleb was collapsed on the ground, which gave her the perfect spot to drop and rest.

Unsurprisingly, she had barely closed her eyes when the crunch of boots over rocks reached her ears. Despite wanting a nap, Beau cracked her eyes open just in time to watch Fjord kneel next to Caleb. A large glowing hand gently pressed against Caleb's chest causing the gash on his temple to close and the burns on his neck to turn a light pink.

When Fjord's attention remained completely focused on Caleb, Beau stretched an arm out to make herself seen. “What about me?”

“Uh,” Fjord's eyes went strangely wide as he awkwardly wrapped his hand around Beau's wrist to heal her. “Is that enough? I can get Caddy.”

“Nah, I'm good. What was that look for?”

“What look? I didn't have a look.”

“Did you get hit on the head? You're acting strange.”

“No, I'm just making sure you two stay alive.”

She narrowed her eyes at the blatant lie and searched his face for the reason he felt the need to lie. A blush began to form on his cheeks that darkened when she momentarily flicked her eyes over to Caleb. Beau tipped her head curiously to the side, then carefully pushed Caleb forward into Fjord's chest. His arms instinctively wrapped around Caleb to prevent him from slipping to the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“Putting the pieces together.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. There are no pieces to put together.”

A pained grunt slipped from her lips as she pushed to her feet using Fjord's shoulder to help stabilize her on the way up. “There weren't before, but I'm starting to think we've been missing something.”

“You're not missing anything.”

“Maybe, I'll figure out whether I'm missing something or not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	60. Prompt 60 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: They say assassins are always the best dancers, and technically Caleb had been trained to be one.... so 👀 smooth Dancer Caleb making Fjord swoon? Yay or nay?

From his place at the bar, Fjord had the perfect view of the Ruby of the Sea elegantly spinning across the ballroom floor. The glittering swirl of her silver dress sparkled in the glow of the magical lights floating around the room like stars in the night sky. She was a breathtaking sight to behold, but it was the man gliding across the dance floor with her that he couldn't take his eyes off.

His dark coat flared out behind him on every spin and his feet moved effortlessly along with the music. The burn of his red hair elaborately done up gave him a perfect view of his cerulean blue eyes. As always, the passion and the fire burning within them drew Fjord in whenever he caught sight of them. Where Marion illuminated the space around her with light, Caleb was a radiating warmth filling the space. Together, they demanded the attention of all.

“Drinks and a show.” Beau leaned casually back against the bar next to him and took a sip of her drink. “I can't say I mind, but I am a little surprised by the entertainers.”

“You've danced with him before.”

“So have you. That is different.”

Any argument died on the tip of his tongue at the sight of Caleb effortlessly lifting Marion in a half spin through the air. Neither of them missed a beat as they picked right back up as soon as her feet touched the ground. If he didn't see it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.

“You should offer to dance with her next. That would probably make Jester's night.”

“And make a complete fool out of myself by following that up? I don't think so. There's no way I could follow that up.”

“Of course not. There's only three types of people that could do that.”

As Caleb turned his back to him, Fjord took the chance to raise an eyebrow in Beau's direction. “Really? What types?”

“Rich people, which he isn't, people that are paid to do it, which he's not, and assassins.”

“Assassins?”

“Most of the people worth assassinating spend their time at parties like this. It's an important skill to have if you want to get close to your target.”

“That makes sense but aren't the Scourgers trained in stealth. That's not exactly stealthy.” Blue eyes locked with his for a wisp of a moment before Caleb twirled Marion out, then spun around her. “Kind of the exact opposite.”

“Stealth isn't always about hiding in the shadows. Blending in is a useful skill, especially in these places. There's nothing more suspicious than not fitting in.”

“It's a miracle we haven't been thrown out yet.”

They clicked their drink together in solidarity, then both finished the last of the alcohol in their glasses. Before he could turn to get another drink from the bartender, the song drew to a close bringing all the dancers to a pause. He was so captivated that he couldn't pull his eyes away from the two in the center of it all.

It was like watching something off in the distance as Caleb gave a bow and pressed a kiss to the back of Marion's hand. A lovely smile brightened her face as she gave a small bow in return, then took his arm to leave the dance floor. He quickly straightened up when their path led them to Beau and himself at the bar. As he opened his mouth to compliment them, a delicate hand lifted his and placed Caleb's hand gently on top of it.

“Thank you for the dance, Caleb. I think I need a short break. I have not danced like that in a long time. Fjord will be able to keep up with you much better than I.”

Fingers flexed against his for the briefest of moments as Caleb inclined his head. “It was an honor to dance with you. It has been a long time for me as well. Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Now, go have fun. There's plenty more dancing to be done.”

The obvious dismissal had Fjord quickly setting his empty glass down, so he could guide Caleb back to the dance floor. He settled his free hand on Caleb's narrow waist and lifted their clasped hands in a familiar position. They immediately fell into the dance with the same ease they had in Rexxentrum all those months ago. While they did nothing more than a simple box step, Fjord couldn't help marveling at how natural Caleb moved with him.

“I didn't know you could do that.”

A light blush started to color Caleb's cheeks and his eyes dropped down to look at Fjord's chest. “Like I said, it has been a very long time. I didn't even know I remembered how.”

“It was amazing. Truly, you were incredible.”

“Thank you, Fjord.” The soft tone of his voice curled around his heart in a firm hold that tightened as Caleb lifted his head. “That is very kind of you.”

“You're welcome, Cay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	61. Prompt 61 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I'm just thinking like Essek has the group do a "test" and like their character sheet stats are their results and Beau's screams of fury knowing she has the same strength as Caleb, knowing Caleb, with some training could also do dope shit like her. He's working out with her wether he likes it or not now

“What are you looking at me like that for?” Despite barely being able to speak, the stink eye from Beau concerned him too greatly not to comment on. It had been a long time since he found himself the target of her anger. “What did I do?”

“Why do you always hide behind the weak excuse? You're just as strong as I am. If you just joined me for workouts, you'd be able to do the same things I do.”

“I think you are forgetting that you are significantly more dexterous than I am. If I attempted any of the flips that you did, I would make a fool of myself.”

“You're more dexterous than most people. Plus, that's the point of training.”

His eyes looked desperately at the other members of the Nein and Essek, hoping that someone would distract Beau, but none of them seemed inclined to do so. If anything, most of them looked amused by the situation. “I would not want to interrupt your training and you are already helping Fjord. I do not-”

“Don't be ridiculous. It'd be easy to come up with a regiment for you and it never hurts to practice the basics. All you need is some more cardio and knowledge of self-defense and you'll be able to handle yourself better in up close combat. I have an extra staff you can borrow or when can train you in a different weapon. There are plenty of options.”

“Beauregard, I think the magic is enough. I will just stick to a distance as I always do and use the free time we have continuing to improve my arcane knowledge.”

“You can spare an hour a day to improve your fitness, starting tomorrow morning. No more banking on distance to keep you safe or always using magic when things start to get dicey. You're getting some training.”

“I really do not think that is necessary.”

“Tough shit. You're my new training partner, and I'll have you flipping Fjord on his ass by the end of the week.”

“This is a horrible idea.”

“No, it's a great idea.” Beau clapped her hand firmly against his back almost causing him to lose his balance from the force. “We're going to unlock your potential.”

“Is that what they told you at the Cobalt Soul?”

“Maybe, but that's not the point. The point is you're getting some monk training, whether you like it or not.”

“I am beginning to regret becoming friends with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	62. Prompt 62 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb just set Beau on fire last night and they didn't talk about it. Can we get a talk during the short rest?

As soon as they had a moment to rest, Beau plopped on the ground to assess the damage from the fights. There were still spots of ice on her from the ice creatures that exploded when Fjord got Caduceus away from them. Some of it covered the burns from Caleb's Web of Fire that she hadn't been able to fully dodge. She poked at the burned skin, then let out a low hiss at the spark of pain.

“What are you doing?” A hand pushed hers away from her arm, then gently took hold of it. “You're going to infect it.”

“It's fine."

Despite her words, Caleb began gently tending to the wound with even more care than he normally did. His lips tipped down in a frown that darkened throughout the short process to clean and bandage her arm. When he finally tied off the bandage, his hands dropped into his lap while his eyes remained focused on the bandage.

“Whatever you're thinking, stop it.”

“I could have killed you.”

“It would have taken a lot more than that to kill me.” After waiting to see his reaction remain unchanged, she reached out a hand to gently squeeze his wrist. “We were on the same page. I knew exactly what you were planning, and I wanted you to do it. Not getting out of the way in time is on me, not you.”

“I should not have taken the risk.”

“You did it because you trust me, right?”

“Ja.”

“Do you still trust me?”

His eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion at her question. “Of course, I do. Why would I not?”

“Then trust me when I say it's fine. It's not the same thing. I wanted you to do it. You trusted me enough to did and I let you down. This isn't on you and you shouldn't feel bad about it. I'm the one at fault here.”

“I did not want to hurt you.”

“I know. I'd be concerned if you did.” While she wasn't the least bit surprised he didn't look convinced, she couldn't help the bite of disappointment. “Look, if it will make you feel better, we can promise here and now not to do something like that again. It's up to you.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Take as long as you need.”

After Caleb gave her a nod, Beau moved to lean against him and let her eyes fall shut to take advantage of the remainder of their rest. A heavy sigh came from Caleb, but he said nothing more as he wrapped one arm around her waist. His chin rested against the top of her head and his breathing gradually slowed, allowing her to relax for a short nap along with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	63. Prompt 63 - Fjord (Mighty Nein/Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Orcs can get pretty protective of that they think is theres- from items, to ideas, to family, to places. Which makes me think Fjord, is an excellent platonic cuddler which the group 100% loves

**1\. Jester**

The bump of the wheels along the path caused the entire cart to shudder whenever they hit a pothole. He should have expected Jester to plop into his lap the instant she pulled out her journal and paints. Instead, he simply glanced over when he heard her rustling around in her bag, then went right back to watching the rear. Doing so left him completely unaware that Jester would drop onto his lap. 

After instinctively wrapping his arms around Jester to prevent her from slipping, he let out an annoyed huff. “I don't remember saying you could sit here.”

“It's so bumpy. How else am I supposed to draw?”

“Why don't you wait for us to get somewhere more suitable for drawing?”

“What else am I supposed to do, Fjord? I'm so bored, and I haven't drawn for the Traveler in days.”

“You could help keep watch or take a nap. There are plenty of other options that don't involve trying to draw on a bumpy cart.”

“A nap does sound good.” The snap of Jester shutting her journal was quickly followed by her setting everything aside and curling up in his lap. “Thanks for the suggestion, Fjord.”

“I walked right into that one.”

With a sigh, Fjord pulled his blanket out of his pack to wrap around Jester, then settled back against the cart. While his eyes went back to searching the countryside for threats, his fingers absentmindedly toyed with Jester's hair. When an unexpectedly harsh bump in the road almost caused her to slip from his lap, Fjord quickly moved his arms to keep her in place. She snuggled a little firmer against his chest and let out a soft snore.

* * *

**2\. Beau**

The exhausted droop of Beau's shoulders as she collapsed onto the chair next to him had him pushing over his plate of barely touched food. After giving him a grunt of thanks, Beau shoveled down the offered food and the drink that Caleb slid across the table. As soon as the last trace of food disappeared from her plate, she tipped sideways to lean against Fjord's side. He carefully moved his arm out of the way, so she could rest more comfortably against his chest.

It didn't take long for Beau to be snoring away against his chest as she completely gave into her exhaustion. He carefully moved their chairs closer together, so she wouldn't end up accidentally falling between them. The little shift it caused earned him a hand to the face that pushed his jaw uncomfortably to the side. An annoyed huff fell from his lips as he plucked her hand away from his face and dropped it in her lap.

“Should we get her to bed?” Nott's voice carried over the chatter of the pub just enough for him to hear.

“She'll be fine for a little bit.”

“Fine, but don't come crying to me when you can't wake her up.”

* * *

**3\. Nott**

While he was normally content to spend watch in silence, Nott's obvious distraction led to him taking a seat closer to her than normal. “How are you doing?”

“What are you asking for?”

“You just... seem like you might have something on your mind. If you want, you can talk about it or we can keep sitting here in silence.”

“There's nothing to talk about.”

Her eyes momentarily flicked to the side to check on where Caleb was curled up beneath his blanket. The image of his unconscious body being shoved inside of the chest cavity of the creatures they fought earlier sprang to mind. Unthinkingly, he placed a comfort hand on Nott's shoulder that he expected her to shrug off or smack away. To his surprise, she leaned heavily into his hand.

When she didn't immediately pull away, Fjord gently guided her to lean against his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She shifted further into his space and threw her legs across his thigh. While her arms tightened around his torso, she pressed her face into his chest. Nott only stayed there for a few minutes before pulling away and returning her focus to the landscape in front of them.

* * *

**4\. Caduceus**

Considering the rough day Caduceus had, Fjord took the empty spot next to him in the small shelter they were staying in. The gentle caress of the Wildmother greeted him, upon taking his place beside Caduceus. He let his eyes fall shut to enjoy the familiar radiating warmth of the Wildmother coming from next to him. His ever-moving mind wandered through the events of the day and swirled with the possibilities of what was to come.

It wasn't until the presence of the Wildmother disappeared that he opened his eyes again to find the others all fast asleep. The only ones still awake were him and an exhausted looking Caduceus that barely managed a nod when he looked his way. When it became evident Caduceus wasn't in the mood for conversation, Fjord tipped sideways to press their shoulders together.

They stayed like that for a few moments, then Caduceus slumped down to use his thigh like a pillow and curled his knees up to his chest. Despite how tall he normally stood, he looked incredibly small curled up in a tight ball on the ground. He placed a hand on his arm to give him another anchor to help him relax enough to get a good night's rest. The gentle rumbling snores that quickly followed put Fjord at ease, allowing him to settle more comfortably against the wall and let sleep overtake him.

* * *

**5\. Yasha**

The frigid cold of the blistering Eiselcross winds howled against the outside of the dome that protecting them from potentially freezing in the night. While the rest of the group fell asleep quickly after finding a spot to camp for the night, Yasha had exchanged a look with him, then settled down to keep watch. After pulling out his blanket and cloak to wrap Caleb's still shiver body up in, he took a seat next to Yasha. Her eyes flicked over to him for a moment, then went back to surveying the landscape.

“See anything?”

“No.” A rumble of thunder in the distance punctuated her statement. “Tomorrow may be difficult.”

“Seems like it. Hopefully, it's better than today.”

Yasha gave a low hum in response as she set her now newly cleaned sword next to her and pulled her knees to her chest. The brush of her shoulders against his when she moved had him leaning into her side. After spending all day in the freezing cold and getting blasted by ice breath, the warmth of another person was almost burning. It was so comforting he found himself nodding off despite his best efforts to keep his eyes open.

He was nearly asleep with his head resting on Yasha's shoulder when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. His eyes were beginning to crack open, until Yasha shuffled a little closer and her head dropped on top of his. The sound of rumbling intermittently filled the air and Yasha's steady breathing accompanied him to sleep.

* * *

**+1. Caleb**

“Good morning.” Fjord gently brushed away the few strands of hair in Caleb's eyes as he slowly blinked them open. “Hello there.”

“Good morning, Fjord.”

The heaviness of sleep caused Caleb's accent to come out thicker than normal and his eyes to struggle to focus. Fjord's smile grew wider at the sound of his name in Caleb's thick accent as he shifted closer to him. A pleased grumble came from Caleb at the new position that allowed him to more easily tuck into Fjord's chest. He knocked his head lightly against the underside of Fjord's chin, then finally forced his eyes to stay open.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing, just enjoying a pleasant morning.”

“We have to get up soon.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Not yet.”

Fjord pressed his laughter into the top of Caleb's head, earning him an annoyed huff. “We can stay here a little longer.”

“Sleep.”

“Go back to sleep, Cay. I'll wake you when we need to get up.” The words were barely out of his mouth before Caleb snuggled closer and his breathing began to slow once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	64. Prompt 64 - Caduceus, Caleb & Essek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Wizards are like cats..... which means Caleb and Essek.... would find Caduceus very comforting. Platonically of course. Just.... the dumb asshokes finally take a nap fhsjsjshshshs

After transferring the tray of tea to one hand, Caduceus knocked on the door to the library and waited patiently for the two on the other side to answer. The sound of a chair sliding across the hardwood floor was quickly followed by the soft click of boots. When the door opened, an exhausted looking Caleb stood on the other side with his hair up in a messy bun and a soft cardigan wrapped around him. He blinked uncertainly at the tea tray, then stepped aside to allow Caduceus into the room. 

The room's other occupant glanced up briefly from the papers strewn across the table and gave a little wave. Essek cleared some of the papers away to make room for the tray on the table that Caduceus ignored in favor of setting it on the tea table by the couch. A soft, breathy chuckle from the direction of the door proceeded Caleb joining him to pour the tea. He gratefully accepted the first cup, then took a seat with it clutched to his chest.

“Thank you, Caduceus.”

“I thought you could use a break. You've been in here all day.”

“It ended up being more difficult than expected, and we may have lost track of time.”

“Then a break will do you both good.”

Caleb hummed into his cup as he shifted on the couch to rest his back against Caduceus's side and took a sip of the tea. “Will you be joining us, Essek? Mr. Clay makes an incredible tea. I think you will enjoy it.”

“Of course.”

While Essek had grown more comfortable around the Nein, he was still hesitant to engage with all of them except for Caleb. On the few occasions he stopped by the Xhorhaus while Caleb was out, it took quite a bit of coaxing before he would willingly join in the conversation. He still rarely spoke of himself, but he had grown more open with his laughter and Jester's joke and engaged in light banter with Beau when she poked at him. More often than not, Essek would join them for dinner when he wasn't too busy to spare a few hours out of his day.

Despite his growing comfort, Caduceus did not expect him to follow Caleb's lead, but that was exactly what he did. After taking the offered cup of tea, he leaned stiffly against Caduceus's side while he slowly drank it. As he took his time enjoying the tea, his body slowly relaxed, until he was almost melted against him with the cup held precariously in his hands. When Essek's eyes began to drift shut, Caduceus gently took the cup from his hand and place it on the table.

He did the same thing with Caleb's empty cup, then settled back into the couch before either of them could wake. “Nap time it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	65. Prompt 65 - Fjord, Caleb & Essek (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord thought it was just Caleb that found him comforting, very rapidly however, Fjord finds himself comfortable to wizards. The wizards are cats. He wakes up while the M9+Essek are resting in a barn (no spell slots left to leave) covered in cats and the two wizards.

An intense itching sensation in his nose pulled Fjord from sleep so rapidly it almost felt like he hadn't slept at all. The only reason he knew sleep had come to him was the lack of complete exhaustion he felt when they stumbled into the barn earlier. Despite that, Fjord still felt too tired to be awake, but couldn't fight past the constant itching in his nose. With a groan, he forced his eyes open to figure out why his nose suddenly decided to rebel against him in the middle of the night.

“What the...” While he was used to waking up to find Caleb and Frumpkin curled up on him, the other wizard and multiple non-fae were completely unexpected. “Fuck.”

As carefully as possible, Fjord slid his arm out from underneath Caleb to poke the cats off his abdomen before his nose couldn't take it any longer. All of them left without more than a stink eye, until he nudged the last one a few times when it ignored his first one. A loud hiss came at the same time it swiped at his hand that he barely pulled back in time to avoid its claws. Before he could figure out what to do next, a hand scooped up the cat and placed it well away from his head. 

Blue eyes full of amusement looked up at him, then Caleb stretched up to place a kiss on his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“I still might sneeze.”

“Sorry. I didn't expect them to flock to Frumpkin.”

“I'm not sure he's the cat they were flicking too.”

“Very funny.” A yawn forced its way out of Caleb's mouth as he resettled against Fjord's chest and tangled their legs together. “I'm not a cat.”

“Plenty of facts would point to the contrary. Although, I'm starting to think it's a wizard thing, not just a you thing.”

“Don't be mean.”

“I'm not being mean. I'm just making an observation.”

The sharp pinch of fingers unexpectedly catching his side caused him to instinctively jump to get away from them. An annoyed grumble from Essek as he blinked his eyes open made him feel more than justified for turning a glare to Caleb. The mischievous smile tipping up the corner of Caleb's lips sent a wave of fondness through him that he tried to fight down and failed miserably.

“Is something wrong?” Although he knew he woke Essek, his voice still surprised him enough he almost jumped again.

Caleb placed a calming hand over his heart. “No, it was just the cats. Fjord's allergies got the best of him, but it should no longer be an issue.”

“Perhaps this was not the best spot to settle for the night for someone that is allergic to cats.”

“Frumpkin will keep them away. He will be fine the rest of the night.” Essek gave a little shrug of his shoulders, then resettled on Fjord's chest and quickly fell back asleep. “You should get back to sleep as well, Fjord. We need to get up before dawn to get back on track.”

“Promise to keep the cats away?”

“Promise. I'll protect you from the big, bad cats.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	66. Prompt 66 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: AU where everything is almost the same in canon.... only Caleb is 10. He uses an illusion to make him look like an adult and the group finds out and losses their collective shit.

As soon as the ring left his finger, fear ran cold through his veins as he felt his form shift to what he had been hiding from the Nein for so long. He saw all of their eyes go incredibly wide as they stared at him like he grew a second head not suddenly appeared shorter and younger. Before he could scramble to grab the ring, a hand snatched his wrist in a firm grasp that brought him to an immediate halt. Even though he didn't want to, Caleb slowly turned his head to come eye to eye with a stern-faced Beau.

“Where should I begin?”

“I'd prefer if you didn't start anything.”

“Too late for that.” Beau grabbed the ring off the ground and held it up to him between her thumb and forefinger. “This is a ring that allows you to give off the illusion of being an adult. Do I have that right?”

“It is a bit more complicated than that. If it were only an illusion, you would have easily been able to figure it out.”

“Let's talk about that. Why, exactly, did you think it was a good idea to pretend to be an adult? You're what? Six?”

“Have you ever seen a six-year-old before?”

“Now, is not the time to be sassing me.”

While he wanted nothing more than to rip his arm away from her and grab the ring, he knew nothing good would come of that. “Ten.”

“You're ten?”

“Ja.”

“Why are you running around with us? Shouldn't you be at home reading your books or something else more age appropriate?”

“Where do you imagine I would do that? They murdered my family. Who would I go to?”

“Who did?”

His eyes flicked over to Fjord for a brief moment before focus back on Beau. “Trent Ikithon.”

“That creep from the Victory Pit? Why would he do that?”

“He was my mentor. When I was five, my parents took me to visit the Academy and Trent took notice. He claimed I had a natural talent for the arcane and offered me a place at the Academy. I spent all my time at the Academy training to be his... I don't know really. But, when I expressed a desire to be something other than what he wanted, he did not take that well.”

“So he killed your parents.”

“He did not make it so obvious, but I eventually figured it out. I did not think it best to stick around to find out what his next plan of action was if I continued to defy him. It is hard to get anywhere when you are ten, so I took that and tried not to look back.”

“Shit.” With a sigh, Beau pulled him into a hug, then handed the ring over to him after she pulled away. “We're going to figure this out.”

“I know. Thank you, Beauregard.”

“We take care of our own.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	67. Prompt 67 - Bren, Astrid & Eodwulf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb quietly to himself- sometimes I wonder if Trent took us in as kids because he’ll never have heirs of his own. Astrid and Enwulf, quietly- Bren it’s Two AM, you’re probably right but PLEASE GO TO SLEEP

The twinkling stars above his head moved slowly across the ceiling like he was looking up at a sea of the night sky. Although he knew he should be sleeping, his mind wouldn't shut off long enough to let sleep overtake him. His fingers tapped nervously against his arm to prevent himself from saying the words threatening to tumble from his lips. He turned his head to the side to find Eodwulf with his eyes shut, then looked to the other side to see Astrid in a similar state.

With a light sigh, Bren wiggled to get more comfortable on the bed, hoping that might do something to help his restless mind. As soon as he settled, Bren forced himself to shut his eyes and try to go to sleep. After several frustrating minutes of not getting any closer, he opened his eyes once again to stare at the ceiling. He blew his breath out in a long stream that sounded incredibly loud in the quiet of the silent room.

“Do you ever wonder if Trent took us in as kids because he will never have heirs of his own?”

A low groan came from his left, then Eodwulf's quiet voice came from next to him. “Bren, it is two in the morning. Please go to sleep.”

“Have you never thought of that?”

“I did not say that. We can talk about it in the morning. It is time to sleep.”

“Do you think it's true?”

“Probably. Now, will you go to sleep?”

“Sorry.” The word was barely out of his mouth when his bed dipped as Eodwulf slid under the blanket beside him. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

“Don't apologize. Try to sleep.”

“I'm trying.”

As he tried to get comfortable, the other side dipped, then an arm wrapped around his waist from behind. “Maybe, if Eodwulf told you a story, you would be able to get to sleep.”

“Astr-”

“Am I wrong?”

“Next time, you're the one responsible for the story.”

“We'll see about that.”

A heavy sigh from Eodwulf caused Bren to rise with the movement of his chest. “The Cat Prince it is. Once upon a time in a little house on the edge of a great wide wood lived a young boy with his mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	68. Prompt 68 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb would try to teach all of the M9 find familiar and the fact that it hasn’t happened in canon yet is amazing to me. Just.... Caleb would. He really would. It might not be successful, but he would try!

“What is all this for?” Beau raised an eyebrow at the charcoal, incenses and herbs he placed on the table next to her notes. “These aren't books.”

“No, but I have these for you.” He placed a few sheets of quality paper and ink on top of Beau's journal.

“Thanks for the offer, but I have plenty of paper. You can keep that.”

“You do not have this kind of paper, but you will need it.”

“And why will I need it?”

The heavy spell book thudded open to a page with runes she could vaguely recognize as being conjuration in nature. “We are getting you an owl.”

“That didn't go so well last time.”

“Last time, it was a shit head bird that you didn't know how to train. This will be a fae creature that will be connected to you, which means it will likely be stubborn and brash.”

“I'm going to ignore that for now. I'm not a wizard.”

“Neither was I. The only reason I know how to do any of this is because I learned how to do it.” A hand settled atop her as Caleb pushed his spell book closer to her. “After everything happened, this was the first spell I learned again. It was the only one that I ever learned on my own at the Academy. Everything else was given to me, but this was mine. You don't have to be a wizard to do this, but you have to be patient and willing to push through the failures. That's all it takes.”

“If I do this, you take the time to learn some basic self-defense. Just thirty minutes a day is all I'm asking for.”

“That does not seem like a fair trade for me, but some self-defense training might not be the worst idea you have ever had.”

“Is it a deal or not?”

“Deal.”

With a nod, Beau pushed her journal out of the way, so she could replace it with the paper and ink Caleb gave her. “Do I just copy that onto one of these?”

“Ja, that is the first step.”

“Shouldn't I practice on regular paper first, then move to this.”

“What is more valuable? Your time or the paper?”

“Where do I start?”

“I prefer to start here,” He pointed to the upper right corner of the paper. “but it might be best for you to start on the opposite side. You will be less likely to smudge if you start there and work your way out.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“It shouldn't be too difficult. I did learn this by myself when I was a child.”

“Whatever. Why don't you read a book or something? I don't need you distracting me.”

“Excuse me. I didn't realize you no longer needed my help. I will just be here reading and minding my own business if you need me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	69. Prompt 69 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb can control everything in his tower. What if he's thinking of Fjord during casting, and, whoops, his bedroom door goes to Fjords room

By the time Caleb finally went to his room, he could barely keep his eyes open long enough to find the doorknob. He stumbled through the door with a yawn so wide he couldn't keep his eyes open. The unexpected sound of a throat being cleared halted him dead in his tracks as the yawn came to an end and his eyes opened again. A perplexed Fjord was watching him with an eyebrow raised in question at his presence.

“To what do I owe this visit?”

“I, uh...” Caleb glanced behind him at the door, like it might have some explanation as to how he ended up in Fjord's room instead of his own. “I must be more tired than I thought. This is not where I intended to be.”

“And where did you intend to be.”

“My room, which this is not.”

“No, it is. How about I help you get up there?”

“That isn't necessary.”

Before he could protest any further, Fjord placed a book on the side table and rose from his chair. “It's not like I have anything important to do at the moment.”

A warm hand pressed against his lower back that gently urged him out of Fjord's room to the levitating elevator. He hid his laughter in his hand at the unnecessary command that Fjord gave before heading upward. The hand never left his back as Fjord reached for the doorknob and pulled open the door. Both of them remained rooted to the spot in front of the threshold at the sight of Fjord's room.

“Has it ever done this before?”

“Can't say it has.”

“Is this something to be concerned about? Should I get everyone else?"

“Let me just think. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.” Partway through searching his memory of casting the tower, all thoughts came to an abrupt halt as realization struck him.

“What is that face for? Are you sure I shouldn't get the others?”

“I would really prefer you didn't.”

Fjord's eyebrows wrinkled up in concern and his mouth pressed into a thin line. “What happened?”

“Not to point fingers, but you may have distracted me.”

“What do you mean?”

“While I was casting the tower, you came over to talk to me.”

“Are you saying...” The left corner of Fjord's lip slowly began tugging up, immediately causing his cheeks to begin burning. “Did I distract you?”

“That would not be an inaccurate way of putting it.”

“So, I distracted you so much that you accidentally made your room led to my room.”

“Stop smiling.”

“I'm not.”

With a huff, Caleb poked at Fjord's dimples. “That is not a smile.”

“Not at all. You know, if you wanted to spend the night with me, you could have just asked.”

“I am going to spend the night in Beauregard's room.”

“Nope.”

The hand on his back slid down to his waist in a firm hold that allowed Fjord to tug him into his room. He knocked the door shut with his heel before spinning around Caleb's front to wrap his other arm around him as well. Without looking over his shoulder, Fjord led him through his sitting room to the next door that would eventually lead to his bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you to bed because you look ready to fall over.”

“I can turn one of the lower rooms into a bedroom.”

Their movement paused as Fjord lifted a hand to gently cradle Caleb's jaw. “There's no need for that. You're more than welcome to stay the night with me. Just to sleep. Okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Fjord.”

“You're welcome.” A gentle kiss pressed against forehead, then Fjord continued their path to his bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	70. Prompt 70 - Fjord (Brjeaus/Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Mighty Nein go to an Orc village and either the Orcs think Fjord is married (or mated?) to one of the Nien (Yasha or Beau would be funny). Or one of the Orcs starts flirting with Caleb and Fjord finds himself wanting to stake his claim so to speak. Just something to do with Fjords orc heritage

“So, you are the Mighty Nein.” The leader of the group stepped forward to assess them with a critical eye. “Waccoh said you would be able to help us. You think you're up to the task?”

Fjord stepped forward to extend a hand in greeting that was accepted for a firm shake that quickly broke. “She only told us some of the details, but we think we're more than capable of assisting you. If you can provide us the specifics, we could give you a better idea of what we can bring to the table.”

“Good. I'm Dura.”

“Fjord.”

“Come this way.”

As they began to follow Dura, Beau fell into step next to him with her head on the swivel to watch their surroundings. A steady flow of conversation between himself and Dura took most of his attention, until a soft laugh from behind him drew his attention away. He glanced over his shoulder to find Caleb hiding a laugh behind a hand as he looked up at the orc walking next to him. The smile on their face was kind enough, but the little shift to the side that brought them closer to Caleb immediately triggered his protective instincts.

To prevent himself from acting on his instincts, he turned all his attention back to Dura just in time to catch her next question. “How long have your group been together?”

“About half a year. We've seen some... interesting things in our time together that has brought us much closer than we ever could have expected.”

“That makes for a very tight knit group. Waccoh was right to send you.”

“Thank you. We'll do whatever we can to help.”

“I don't doubt it. At the very least, the two of you seem to work well together.”

“There's no one better to have at your side.” He nudged Beau in the side, which earned him a much firmer knock to the ribs in retaliation. “Although, she's got a mean right hook, so I wouldn't recommend getting on her bad side.”

“None will bother you here, but you are welcome to hit them if they do.”

The crack of Beau's knuckles had Fjord rolling his eyes at her. “My kind of people.”

A low chuckle came from Dura as she held open the door to a building that led into what he could only describe as a war room. She motioned for them to take places around the table, then headed to a cabinet at the back of the room. Instead of immediately stepping up to take a spot like Beau did, Fjord held back to wait for Caleb. He raised an eyebrow in question but followed Fjord's direction via a hand pressing lightly into the small of his back to stand between him and Beau. While the others chattered around them, Caleb leaned into his space on the tips of his toes to whisper in his ear.

“Is there reason for concern?”

“No.”

“Was there some other reason you wanted me to join you and Beauregard? It looked like the two of you were handling things fine on your own.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, he shifted the hand on the small of Caleb's back to settle on his waist. “You know I always value your opinion on these matters.”

Caleb gave a little hum as he lowered back to his feet and directed his attention to the map being spread across the table. It took all of his self-restraint to hold back a laugh when Caleb and Beau leaned forward at the exact same time to better inspect the map. While they focused on that, Fjord turned his attention back to Dura to find him looking at him with her eyes narrowed.

“Is something wrong?”

“It seems I misinterpreted things earlier. I apologize.”

“I'm not sure what you are referring to, but I can assure you there's not need to apologize.”

“I thought the two of you,” She pointed from him to Beau, then back again. “were partners, but I see I was wrong in that assumption.”

“Oh, that's... she's more like a sister to me.”

Her eyes flicked to the two speaking in rapid Zemnian as they pointed out different locations on the map. “I can see that, and it looks like you are exactly the group we need to handle this.”

“Give them five minutes and they'll have a solid plan.”

“I don't doubt it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	71. Prompt 71 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire Siblings being split from the party in Eiselcross and having to fend for themselves until they reunite.

“Caleb!” After an intense shiver ran through her body, Beau cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. “Caleb! Caleb Widogast!”

A soft nip at her ankles almost ended her nearly kicking at the cat looking up at her with intelligent eyes. She immediately dropped to her knees to run a hand over Frumpkin's head and scooped the cat up into her arms. With a shaky breath, Beau rose to her feet before her pants could completely soak through.

“I don't know if you can hear me Caleb, but I'm coming. Frumpkin, lead the way.”

Following a soft meow, Frumpkin leapt out of her arms and started in slightly to the left of where she had been heading. They were trudging through the snow for what felt like an hour before she spotted a brown coat among the white snow. She quickly picked Frumpkin up again as she broke out on a sprint to cut the distance between them. A few firm shakes were thankfully all it took to get Caleb to blink his eyes open in confusion.

“Beauregard?”

“How do you feel?”

“Cold.” With a groan, Caleb pushed himself up and momentarily pressed a hand to his head that came away red. “Where are the others?”

“Looking for us, I hope.”

“What happened?”

“I don't know. That thing looked at us and did some sort of weird teleporting magic.”

“That is concerning."

“I'm guessing we're lucky that didn't end up killing us. Vests warned us teleportation magic isn't safe to use here.”

“The fact that creature had teleportation magic at all is strange. It's entirely possible that whatever causes our magic to act strange here is what allows that to teleport us. That might have been much safer than us trying to do it.”

“Even if that is the case, it doesn't make us any less stuck in the middle of a snowstorm with no idea where everyone else is.”

“Give me ten minutes and I can make one of those no longer an issue.”

While Caleb worked on creating the dome, she busied herself with pushing as much of the snow as possible out of the space. Once she had a clear enough spot, she set out their bed rolls and the few blankets she had between them. By the time the dome finally appeared around them, everything was prepared to help them warm up. Caleb immediately snapped his book shut, then shakily rose to his feet.

“I can make us a fire to dry our clothes.”

“You should sit down. I'll take care of the fire.”

He waved her off as he reached for something in his pack that he set in a relatively dry spot and quickly set ablaze. "I can still do that much.”

“Change into something dry, then I'll check your head.”

“What about you?”

“I'm fine. Barely a scratch on me.”

“That's almost unheard of.”

“Very funny.” After quickly changing into dry clothing, they settled on the pile of blankets, so Beau could check his head. “Think they'll be able to find us today?”

“It depends on how difficult the battle is without us. They may not have what they need to locate us.”

“So, we wait.”

“Unless you want to try to find them in that, waiting is our only other option.”

She rolled her eyes at him, then pulled out her journal to give her something to do while they waited. “Now would be the perfect time for the tower. At least we could read while we waited.”

“I have a few books if you want something to read.”

“Ask me again in an hour. I might take you up on that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	72. Prompt 72 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord accidentally proposes with the ring of fire resistance

Fjord rolled the ring nervously between his fingers as he watched Caleb easily conversing with Astrid and Eodwulf from his spot leaning against the railing on the second floor. Despite their latest victory, a gnawing sensation in his gut that something would go wrong refused to leave him. After watching Caleb for a few more minutes, Fjord quickly pocketed the ring as he made his way down the stairs to the party going on below. He carried out the necessary conversations with the individuals that came up to him to congratulate him and ask him questions.

Once the interest finally died down, he weaved his way through the other partygoers to where he last saw Caleb. From the back, Fjord couldn't see his expression as he approached, but his posture appeared relatively relaxed. As he approached, he made sure to clear his throat to avoid startling Caleb when he placed a hand on the middle of his back. Blue eyes flicked over to him for the briefest of moments, then went right back to focusing on the other two. 

When the conversation naturally lolled, his hand pressed a little firmer into Caleb's back at the same time he cleared his throat a second time. “Would you mind if I borrowed Caleb for a few minutes?”

“I need a new drink. Come on, Wulf.”

He waited for the two to get halfway to the bar before leading Caleb onto a small balcony devoid of any other people. After a moment of hesitation, Fjord closed the doors behind them to give them additional privacy from the rest of the party. The ring began to burn in his pocket when he finally met Caleb's concerned gaze. He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and wrapped his arms around his upper chest, like he was giving himself a hug.

“There's no need to look so concerned.”

While he didn't expect Caleb to relax at his words, the additional furrow to his brow caused him to immediately regret his words. “Are you sure about that?”

“I don't know. There's nothing immediately concerning, but I do have a... feeling that something is going to happen. I don't know why. I probably shouldn't feel so on edge. There really isn't any reason to be worrying.”

“There is nothing wrong with worrying. After everything we have been through, it would be strange if you weren't worried about something. I feel the same.”

“You do?”

“Of course,” A sad smile briefly appeared on Caleb's face. “but that is nothing new for me. I always worry.”

“I had hoped being around us would help with that some.”

“It does. It is difficult to unlearn habits that were essential to your survival for so long.”

“Yeah, I understand that.”

The soft press of fingers against his forearm quelled some of the growing nervousness. “Fjord, is there something I can do to help?”

“I just...” His free hand tucked into his pocket to pull out the ring burning a hole in it. “I have no idea what the future is going to hold for us, but I want you to have this.”

While Caleb stood surprisingly still, Fjord slipped the ring onto his left hand where it fit perfectly on his finger. He ran his finger over the red stone and felt some of his nerves eased at the thought of this additional layer of protection. When he finally looked up at Caleb once again, his eyes were so wide a new concern spiked through him.

Before he could say anything, Caleb beat him to the punch. “Fjord.”

“What? What's wrong?”

“That is my ring finger.”

“Did you want it on a different finger?”

“Well,” A sparkle of amusement suddenly filled his eyes as he took a small step forward to bring them closer together. “generally speaking, that particular finger is reserved for engagement rings and wedding bands. Unless you intend for this to be a proposal, it would be best to put it on a different one.”

The blush that immediately stained his cheeks when Caleb's words sank in undoubtedly caused the soft laughter that bubbled out of Caleb. “That's probably a good idea. For now, you know. It's a smart idea.”

“For now?”

“Yes? Should I?”

“You are welcome to.” Even though he desperately willed his hands to remain steady, he could see them shaking as he moved the ring from Caleb's ring finger to his middle finger. “Thank you for trusting me with this. I will take good care of it.”

“The intention is for it to help you take care, not the other way around. As long as it does that, I don't care what happens to it.”

“Still, I will take good care of it.” Caleb rose onto the tips of his toes to press a light kiss to Fjord's cheek, then whispered in his ear. “It's too important to lose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	73. Prompt 73 - Essek (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you ever want an angst and fluff prompt..... the Group return back to xrhause and Jester messages essek asking him to send a doctor... or someone who knows a lot about orcs. Essek is confused and teleports over, only to find one- Caleb hurt, and two, a very VERY protective Fjord who’s clearly in a rage of some kind

The worry in Jester's voice refused to leave his head the entire time he quickly packed up his belongings from his work. A few sent him strange looks at his hurried movements, but no one bothered to ask any questions about his unusual behavior. After one last quick check to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, he pulled his bag over his shoulder and muttered the words to teleport under his breath. He was greeted by a familiar door that he firmly knocked on, then impatiently waited for someone to answer.

Bells sounded as Jester threw open the door so fast he barely had time to register it before she was pulling him inside. He didn't even get the chance to ask further details on what had her worried, until she finally tugged them into the library. While he spent most of his time in the library when he visited, he had never seen so many of them in there at once. Occasionally, Beau would join them during their sessions or Veth would work on something at her workbench, but he rarely saw the others doing more than poke their head in.

“Jester, wha-”

“We need your help.”

He blinked uncertainly at her, then glanced at the others hoping he might be able to glean something from them, only to notice two people missing. “Where are Caleb and Fjord?”

“In Caleb's room. That's kind of the problem.”

“Being in his room?”

“Well, we got into a really sticky situation and everyone was really hurt, and Fjord got hit with something, so Caleb teleported us back here. Caduceus and I were going to heal everyone, but Fjord flipped out and took Caleb in there and he won't let any of us get close enough to help them. We don't know what else to do because we don't want to hurt either of them. We thought you might know how to help.”

“Do you know what Fjord was hit with?”

“Beau thinks it might have been Feeblemind.”

“Ah, that would explain some of it.” His eyes wandered over to the closed door for a brief moment, then returned to Jester. “Normally, those under the effects of Feeblemind still recognize who their allies are, which is a bit concerning. Is there some reason he might have for being concerned that any of you could hurt Caleb?”

“There may have been some suggestion involved that caused some of us to attack each other, including Caleb.”

“In that case, I might be able to help. Let me see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Essek.”

After giving Jester a small nod, he picked up the bandages and bowl of water sitting unused on the desk. He knocked softly on the door, then slowly opened it to find Fjord curled around an unconscious Caleb. Before stepping further into the room, Essek shut the door behind him and waited for Fjord to see him. Once it was clear Fjord didn't see him as a threat, he crossed the room to get a better look at them both.

Fjord watched his every move as he weaved his hand through the air to clear blood and grime from them. While he didn't see anything concerning on Fjord, blood immediately began to stain the front of Caleb's chest. He carefully telegraphed his movements as he leaned across Fjord to lift Caleb's shirt high enough to see the wound. The deep gash was relatively small, but the continuous bleeding posed a problem.

Despite not being the best at wound care, Essek did his best to clean it and slow the flow while working around Fjord. As soon as he finished, he gently shook Caleb's shoulder, until his eyes finally opened. The confusion in them was quickly replaced by pain when he attempted to push himself up. Fjord immediately helped him to sit up and let Caleb lean heavily against his side.

“Essek, what are you doing here?”

“Your friends requested my help. Fjord has been reluctant to allow any of them near you. It seems he is concerned they may injure you further.”

“Right, the Feeblemind.” All it took was a gentle shove to Fjord's chest to get him to help Caleb rise from the bed with most of his weight leaning against Fjord. “If you can tell them to prepare, the quicker the better.”

“I can do that.”

“Thank you.”

“It is no trouble at all. I'm glad all of you are safe.” He exited the room without another word, leaving the door open behind him. “Caleb is awake. You should prepare to restore Fjord.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before Caduceus rose from his spot with diamond dust held in his hand. He gave Essek a soft smile as he stood next to him by the door while they waited for Caleb and Fjord to exit. When they finally appeared, Caleb was wearing a soft cardigan around his shoulders that Fjord must have helped him into. As Caduceus stepped up to restore Fjord, any protective behavior was quelled by Caleb placing a comforting hand on Fjord's chest.

An immediate flip of a switch went off in Fjord's head that resulted in him blinking at them in confusion for a few seconds. A light blush dusted his cheeks as he reached a hand up to scratch nervously at the back of his head. Caleb's soft laughter gave Fjord the perfect excuse to look away from the other occupants in the room.

“Will you allow them to heal me now?”

“Fuck, you haven't gotten healing.” Fjord cradled just under Caleb's wound with a hand that momentarily glowed greenish blue energy. "Is it just this or-”

“Fjord, why don't you sit down? I think Caduceus can take it from here.”

After a moment of hesitation, Fjord pressed a kiss to the top of Caleb's head. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	74. Prompt 74 - Caduceus, Caleb & Fjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb, quietly- you two both serve the wild mother, that makes you brothers somewhat, ja? Caduceus, eyes going wide with that lil shit instinct- I've always wanted another brother. Fjord, none the wiser- Family! : D

As Fjord and Caduceus rose from their commune, a thought struck Caleb that slipped through his lips before he could think better of it. “You two both serve the Wildmother, that makes you brothers somewhat, ja?”

At first, he thought his words came out soft enough that neither of them noticed, but that wasn't at all the case. After taking a moment to blink in thought, Caduceus’s eyes went unexpectedly wide and he turned his head to look at Fjord. The other remained oblivious to the attention now being directed at him while he took the time to process Caleb's words.

“I've always wanted another brother.” A spark in Caduceus's eyes when he spoke of potential mischief on the horizon for a completely unsuspecting Fjord. “This is great.”

“I can't say I know anything about being a brother, but I'm happy to have one.”

“Oh, it's great. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time.”

“With you to help guide me, I don't doubt it, but that will have to wait. I promised Beau we'd do some training together. You may or may not see me later. It'll depend on whether she finally kills me.”

Fjord gave them a little wave before exiting the room at a light job to avoid incurring Beau's wrath by showing up later. As soon as Fjord disappeared from view, Caleb turned a raised eyebrow to Caduceus. He responded with a pleasant smile that didn't speak in the least to the mischief that he noticed earlier.

“You sounded excited at the thought of Fjord being considered your brother.”

“Isn't it great?”

“What do you plan to do to him first?”

The pleasant smile grew a little wider and Caduceus gave him a soft pat on the shoulder. “Oh, well, I don't want to ruin the fun.”

“He has no idea.”

“None.”

“Go easy on him to start.” Caleb gave Caduceus a pat in return, then stepped around him to head to the library. “You might scare him off if you start too intense.”

“There's no need to worry about that. I know exactly what to do first.”

“I don't doubt it. You are family after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	75. Prompt 75 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: This is more for whoever you want it to be, but if you’re taking suggestions or prompts, maybe someone keeping an eye on Caleb after Veth’s Return? That one spell did cost Caleb some exhaustion after all. (Honestly Veth and Essek too but shhhh)

A soft knock on the door drew Caleb out of the light doze he fell into the instant his exhausted body hit the mattress. Before he could consider whether it was worth the short walk to the door, it cracked open wide enough for Fjord to poke his head through the crack. When Caleb didn't demand he leave, Fjord slipped into the room and gently shut the door behind him with his heel. In his hands, he held a tray that he set on the bedside table closest to Caleb.

“Sorry. I thought you might need food and water.”

“That is very thoughtful.” He couldn't fight back his groan as his aching muscles struggled to help him sit up, leading to Fjord gently catching him under the armpits to help him up to lean against the headboard. “Thank you, Fjord.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Do I look that bad?”

“Bad isn't the word I would use. You look like you could sleep for a week.”

“I do not think that will be necessary, but it does sound awfully tempting at the moment. If we didn't have important business coming up...”

A rumbling chuckle shook Fjord's shoulders as he moved the tray carefully to Caleb's lap almost causing him to spill the cup on tea. “We'll have to fit that into the schedule in the future. For now, you should take all the rest you can get.”

“Even if I want to do something else, I'm not sure I could manage it at the moment. You might need to keep me from falling asleep in my food.”

“I can do that.”

He gave Fjord a smile in thanks, then turned his limited attention to making sure the food on his fork reached his mouth. With his hands shaking more than normal, it took him much longer than normal to finish his meal. When he set down the fork to pick up the tea, Fjord removed the tray from his lap so he wouldn't have to worry about balancing it any longer. His hum of thanks disappeared into the still steaming liquid.

“Are you still hungry?”

“No, I am good.” He took his time sipping at the tea, then gently set the cup on the side table when he finished. “That is much better. Thank you.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I'm not sure I can keep my eyes open much longer. All I need at this point is sleep.”

“There is something I can do to help with that.”

Before Caleb could ask, Fjord strode across the room to pull the curtains completely closed to block out the sun. He rolled his eyes fondly at Fjord as he slid down the pillows to rest flat on the mattress once more. His barely contained laughter finally bubbled out when Fjord took over adjusting his pillows, like a doting mother.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping?”

“Is that a question?”

Fjord huffed under his breath, then bent down to press a kiss to Caleb's forehead. “I'll make sure they don't bother you. Get some rest, Caleb.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	76. Prompt 76 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The funniest thing I can think to share with you is “The way of the house husband” widofjord with Evil! Caleb and technically Evil Fjord but like.... Fjord stays home making muffins while Caleb is fucking fighting dragons and protecting xhorhause. Just imagine a big bad scary Vampire Half orc comes over and just asks where the flour is because his husband is coming home and he loves bread. “Aren’t you a vampire?” “Yes but we like some of the people here, so you all get to live.”

He hung his blood-soaked coat on the small hook next to the door to avoid upsetting Fjord by trekking blood through the house. His components and spellbook were all properly put away, along with setting aside his newly acquired items for later inspection. After redoing his hair with the help of a mirror Fjord gifted him, he headed out of the library to the rest of the house. 

An incredible smell greeted him as soon as he stepped into the hallway. The last of the tension remaining in his shoulders from the day faded away the closer he drew to the kitchen. He wasn't surprised in the least to find Fjord in the middle of setting warm bread on the counter to cool. Other baked goods were strewn around the room and flour dusted the front of Fjord's well-worn shirt.

“This never gets old.” Caleb leaned casually against the counter to watch Fjord work on the dough waiting for him on the island. “You have quite the spread here. Is there a reason for all this?”

“Found a few new recipes that sounded like something you would like. I knew you would be gone most of the day. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try them out.”

“Did you scare the clerk into selling you more flour than you needed at an extremely discounted rate?”

Fjord paused in his kneading to roll his eyes at Caleb, then went right back to work. “At some point, you would think they'd get over the whole vampire thing.”

“It's not exactly a common thing. Do you really expect them to simply get used to you occasionally showing up to buy flour?”

“It's more than occasionally.”

“Because you have no self-control.”

“I have plenty of self-control. If I didn't have self-control, I would have eaten you by now.”

“Very funny." A rush of cinnamon flooded his taste buds from the muffin he plucked off a plate. “Do you plan on spending all day in here?”

“This is the last one.”

“What a coincidence. One might think you planned it.”

“I might not have your impeccable internal clock, but I know how long you need to take care of your... business.”

“You would think they would learn their lesson at some point. It's almost boring to deal with them. They never try anything new or know anything. Although, I suppose it's smart of them to send the clueless ones. It makes all my techniques completely useless.”

After placing the bread in the oven, Fjord moved to wrap him up in his arm with a wicked smile. “We'll just have to do something about that. Won't we?”

“How can I say no to that?”

“Then don't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	77. Prompt 77 - Empire Siblings & Jester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beau gets feebleminded and the Nein don’t notice right away, as she would probably fight the same as a monk and they might think she’s just being surly or in deep thought.

As he finished identifying the last of the magical items they picked off the dead bodies littered around the chamber, Caleb grabbed the boots that might be of interest to Beau. Unlike normal, she hadn't dropped down next to him for a nap or investigated the room for clues. He might have thought she was in a bad mood if it weren't for something slightly off about her demeanor. While he couldn't place his finger on exactly what it was, he was more than willing to take the boots as an excuse to check on her.

Her eyes darted over to him on his approach, but she didn't say a word to him or look at the boots he held out to her. “I thought these might be up your alley. If you click them together, you can use haste.”

After staring at him for a long moment, she took the boots from his hands and shoved them in her bag. When he didn't move away, she tipped her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other, then opened his mouth uncertainly as he searched his brain for what else to say.

“What do you think our next step should be? This wasn't exactly expected, but we knew it was a possibility.” When Beau's eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion, he slowly reached out to touch her wrist and spent a minute casting identify. “Caduceus! Jester! Do either of you have a greater restoration?”

The click of boots against the stone floor was followed by Jester waving a handful of diamond dust at him. “What do you need, Caleb?”

“Beauregard has been affected by feeblemind.”

“When did that happen?” Concern laced Jester's words as she placed a gentle hand on Beau's jaw. “It was probably the creepy one that kept sending all those weird spells. I bet he didn't realize how good you are with your fists. No stupid spell was going to stop you from taking him down.”

“But I'm sure she would appreciate her mind back.”

“Obviously, Caleb, and so would we! Who else is going to spend all day in the library with you or make Fjord run so hard he pukes or racing Veth up trees or help me paint the best dicks?”

“Only Beau.”

A bright smile lit up Jester's face while her hand touching Beau glowed bright pink for a brief moment. “Exactly, only Beau!”

After a few uncertain blinks, Beau straightened up to look between the two of them. “Thanks for that. That was... It fucking sucked.”

“But you're all better now.”

“Yeah, I am. Now,” Beau reached in her bag to pull out the boots she shoved in there. “what do these do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	78. Prompt 78 - Empire Siblings & Fjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Do you think maple syrup could count as blood for a vampire? Or would the chloroplast and chlorophyll count? Clearly it does not need to be mans blood" "Caleb, I love you, but it's four in the FUCKING MORNING." idk Probably the Empire siblings at some point. If not then then Nott and Caleb. Which do you think is more funny?

A sigh of frustration slipped from Caleb's lips as he rolled onto his back to stare at the night sky above him. Despite the bone deep exhaustion from a tough battle, his mind refused to shut off long enough for him to fall asleep. He spent most of the night tossing from one side to the other in between bouts of light dozing. Not even Frumpkin curled up against his side did anything to settle his restlessness.

After ten more minutes of being frustratingly unable to sleep, Caleb finally pushed himself up to do something productive since sleeping wasn't on the menu. He grabbed the newest book Fjord found for him from his bag, then checked the table of contents for something interesting. His finger paused next to vampires, then slid across to find the page number.

While he knew most of the information, he paused at the mention of vampires being able to sustain themselves off things other than humanoid blood. “Do you think maple syrup could count as blood for a vampire? Or would the chloroplast and chlorophyll count? Clearly it does not need to be a humanoid's blood.”

An unexpected groan came from across the dome, then a head poked up from where it had been tucked against Yasha's side. “Caleb, I love you, but it's four in the fucking morning!”

“It's three thirty-seven.”

“Fuck you. Go to sleep. We can talk about vampires and maple syrup in the morning.”

“I can't. I...” His finger tapped nervously as he thought about being squished in a small bed with two other people struggling to sleep a long time ago. “I am having trouble sleeping. I'll be quiet.”

He turned his attention back to the book with his bottom lip between his teeth to prevent himself from saying his thoughts out loud a second time. Barely a few sentences in, something moved next to him that he almost caused him to jump in surprise. Beau raised an eyebrow at him in question, then went back to setting out her bedroll and pillow next to his.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” She flopped down onto her bedroll and gave him an expectant look. “Go to sleep.”

“Yasha-”

“Has Jessie.” Before he could say anything else, she stole his book from him and placed it well out of his reach. “Go to sleep.”

As soon as he slid back down, Beau wrapped around him like an octopus. “Why are you so warm?”

“Why are you so cold?”

“Why are you so clingy?”

“Why are you still talking?”

A sudden drop of a body next to him distracted him from the next quip on the tip of his tongue as he looked to see Fjord joining them. “Both of you please stop talking.”

“Back off. He's my wizard tonight. Go find someone else to sleep with.”

“I'm just making sure you both go to sleep.”

“Whatever you say, Fjord. He's my pillow. You can be his.”

“Why are...” Fjord's sentence petered off when Caleb shifted to rest his head on his chest. “You're both ridiculous. Please go to sleep. I am begging you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	79. Prompt 79 - Caleb, Eodwulf & Nott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A challenging prompt, if you'd like one. Eodwulf has recently gotten free from Trent, The Raven queen undoing Trents hold, but not the fallout, and his first logical step is to find Bren, because Bren has been free for a while. Long story short Eodwulf panics and kidnaps a sleeping Caleb (he was so scared he was dead, so he was trying to heal him) and Nott is hunting him down. Because he stole her Caleb. and this is why Astrid was the plan maker.

The comfort of a warm bed was the first thing he noticed upon waking, especially since he distinctly remembered falling asleep on a bedroll in the woods. He slowly cracked his eyes open, then quietly slid out of bed when he noticed a familiar face he hadn't seen in years asleep in a chair nearby. His eyes stayed locked on Eodwulf the entire time he crept across the room to grab his coat and book holster. As he slipped his spellbook into place, Eodwulf's eyes suddenly opened immediately catching sight of him.

“Bren, wait!” Eodwulf rose from the chair with his hands raised where Caleb could see them. “I know this looks bad, but I promise you I didn't mean for this to happen. I panicked and things got out of control.”

“What do you mean?”

“I... The Raven Queen cleared my mind. I know what Trent did, and I could only think of one other person that would understand. When I found you, I assumed something bad had happened. You weren't using the dome. I was just going to check on you, then one on watch almost noticed me and I did the first thing I could think of to get out of there.”

“This is why Astrid always came up with the plans.”

“I'm well aware.”

“Where did you take me?”

“Not far.”

“That's probably worse than-” The window suddenly shattering followed by a small goblin hopping through had Caleb sighing under his breath. “taking us somewhere far away.”

“Let him go!”

“Nott.”

“I'll put a bolt in your eye if you so much as breathe.”

“Nott.”

“Where are the others? I'll kill all of them, too!”

“Nott!” Despite not wanting to, Nott finally tore her eyes away from Eodwulf to look at him instead. “Please put the crossbow down. Eodwulf made a poor decision last night, but he doesn't mean any harm?”

“Eodwulf?”

“Ja, so please put it down.”

“But...”

“The Raven Queen cleared his mind. He needs help, like you helped me.”

“He took you.”

Caleb gave Nott a smile and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know, but he obviously did a very poor job of hiding it. He needs help. That's all.”

“Fine, but I'm keeping a close eye on him.”

“Thank you, Nott. Now, where are the others?”

“Waiting for my signal.”

“That was reckless but thank you for the concern.” After pulling on his pack, he offered Nott a spot on his shoulders. “They won't wait long. We should go before something more than the window is broken.”

“Will they help?”

“Only one of the others knows, but I hope. If not, I suppose we will have each other.”

“We will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	80. Prompt 80 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord combing his fingers through Caleb's hair and kissing the top of his head and just being cute together in general, oh gosh

The gentle brush of fingers through his hair made it easy to relax back into the firm chest behind him. He let his eyes slide close to fully appreciate the pleasant sensation coupled with the warmth of the sun on his skin. Boisterous laughter from Luc, Jester and Veth filtered up from where they were playing at the base of the hill, while Yasha, Beau and Caduceus conversed nearby. Everything was so calm that the temptation to fall asleep battled his desire to simply bask in this peaceful moment.

A soft press of lips against the top of his head convinced him to crack his eyes open and tilt his head back to look up at Fjord. Another kiss pressed against his forehead, then Fjord brushed a finger along his cheek with a soft smile. Caleb brought a hand up to intertwine their fingers together, which earned him a light squeeze in return.

“Did I wake you?”

“No.” He moved their hands, so he could kiss the back of Fjord's hand. “Even if you had, it would have been a wonderful way to wake.”

“You're in a good mood.”

“Is there a reason not to be? I certainly can't think of one.”

“Neither can I.”

“Good, then I don't feel bad about doing this.”

Before Fjord could ask any questions, Caleb stretched up to catch his lips in a kiss that had his toes curling in his boots. He reached his free hand up to tangle his fingers in Fjord's hair, causing some of it to come loose from his small bun. The arm around his waist pulled him further back into Fjord's chest when he gave a gentle tug on the strands. His smile into the kiss led to Fjord giving him a light nip on the bottom lip in retaliation.

“My hair is going to get in the way if you keep doing that.”

“It will be fine. You should let it down more often.”

“It gets in the way when I do that.”

“There's nothing for it to get in the way of right now.” A second tug was all it took to free his hair from the tie. “Look at that. Much better.”

“This is why Beau says I spoil you.”

“No, she says you spoil me because you're incapable of going shopping for supplies and not bringing me back something.”

“I've only done that a few times.”

“We both know that's a lie.”

With a roll of his eyes, Fjord softly bumped their foreheads together. “I'm not that bad. I get you what you need.”

“And sometimes a little extra.”

“Only sometimes.”

Caleb hummed into the next kiss that he fully intended to get lost in, until he felt a firm kick to the bottom of his boot. His leg snapped out to catch Beau hard on the shin, causing her to curse in pain and take an instinctive step back. The smirk he sent her might have earned him another kick in revenge if the others weren't around. 

“I didn't think I'd regret teaching you that, but I'm starting to think I do.”

His toe poked at the front of her boot. “Don't kick me, and I won't kick you.”

“Stop making out with Fjord and I won't have to kick you.”

“You didn't have to kick me.”

“It worked. Now, come on. TJ's up. Training time.”

Despite grumbling under his breath, Caleb accepted the hand Beau held out to help him to his feet. As he worked on fixing his hair into a tighter ponytail, Beau gave him a punch on the arm that forced him to start over. Before she could drag him away, he slipped his arm out of her hold, much to her annoyance.

“I almost forgot." Caleb bent down to exchange a kiss with Fjord that earned him a loud groan from Beau. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Have fun.”

An exaggerated, loud groan interrupted his response. “We get it. You're both disgustingly in love. Let's go, Caleb. Fjord will be there to kiss later.”

“No patience. I'm coming, Beauregard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	81. Prompt 81 - Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beaujester with Beau hiding an injury with the clerics either out of magic or about to be and someone else is injured as well, so the other person gets the heal. Maybe the wound is worse then she thought, or cursed or something?

With a grunt, Beau pulled Caleb to his feet and slid his arm across her shoulders to keep him upright. They stumbled out of room before any other traps could trigger and lock them in a second time. Relief washed through her at the sight of the others waiting for them in the next room. The others were just as bloodied and exhausted looking as she felt.

“Beau!” Jester's normally vibrant voice sounded full of worry. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Can you help him?”

“Everyone else is tapped. I only have the one healing spell left.”

“Jess, please.”

After shifting uncertainly from one foot to the other, Jester poked Caleb on the forehead. “Wake up, Caleb.”

A pained gasp came from Caleb as he regained consciousness with the help of the healing spell running through him. His breath continued to come out slightly shallow from the still broken ribs and he couldn't stand up on his own. Luckily, Fjord took him off her before the steadily growing pain in her leg could worsen. Blue eyes struggled to focused on her for a moment, then Caleb reached out a shaky hand to her.

“Beauregard, your leg.”

“It'll be fine. I have my healer's kit to stop the bleeding.”

“No, Beauregard, it got your leg.” When Caleb tried to take a step back towards her, his legs nearly gave out. “It's necrotic. It'll eat away at you.”

Before Beau could say a word, Jester knelt down to rip her punctured pant leg to reveal the wound underneath. Even without an up-close look, the wound and the skin around it appeared black and dead. Dark black veins spidered out from the area and appeared to continue spreading further while she was watching. When she finally pulled her eyes away, the pure devastation she saw etched into Jester's face sent her heart plummeting.

“Jessie-”

“What do we do? I don't have any healing. We don't have any-We have to have a potion, right? That'll work?” The haversack slammed into the ground, then Jester shoved her arm into it in search of a potion. “There has to be a potion somewhere. We have to have something. Caduceus?”

“Jessie, there's nothing in there.”

“That can't be true. We have so much stuff. There has to be something. Fjord, what about the bag? Have you checked the bag?”

“Jessi-”

“No, there has to be something! Something we haven't thought of or, or, or...” Abruptly, Jester rose to her feet leaving the bag behind as she moved to stand in front of Caleb. “What can we do?”

“I'm not a healer. I could... I could polymorph her, but I can only do that a few times.”

“How far is the nearest city? Can we get there in time?”

Caleb pulled a cocoon from his pocket and pushed off Fjord with some difficulty. “We should be able to. I would need to go.”

“Do it. We have to do it.”

“We need to be quick.”

With a stiff nod, Jester stepped back to Beau to wrap her up in a tight that was careful to avoid the leg wound. When she pulled away, there were tears beginning to pour from her eyes in thick tracks down her face. After quickly wiping at her eyes, she leaned forward to give a slightly wet kiss.

“Be careful, okay?”

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	82. Prompt 82 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb/Fjord fake married for a job or heist at a fancy party, and end up accidentally kissing or pretend kissing for appearances.

The slide of an arm around his waist pulled him back into a firm chest that he melted into as he covered the hand now resting on his abdomen. Their rings clicked together drawing the eye of the woman he had been chatting with since separating to find the owners of the estate. It ended up being surprisingly easy for him to find the one their sources claimed to rarely attend their own parties. Drawing her into a conversation had been even easier, and she didn't seem to have any plans to end it soon. If anything, Fjord's arrival piqued her interest.

“Lady Solis, may I introduce you to my husband?”

“I would be delighted.”

He put on his best smile, then motioned behind him with his free hand. “Lady Solis, this is my husband, Fjord.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Without letting go of Caleb's waist, Fjord leaned forward to take her hand and press a kiss to the back of it. “You certainly found yourself a good one. Quite the gentleman. How did the two of you meet?”

“Oh, it is a bit cliché. We happened to stop in the same small town on our travels and stayed at the same inn. Our traveling companions took in interest in each other. One thing led to another, we all decided to see a recently arrived circus together to entertain ourselves for an evening. We got to talking, and... Well, as people like the say, the rest is history.”

“A bit clichéd, but there's nothing wrong with that. I first met my wife when we were little, then we went our separate ways and found our way back to each other. They're clichés because they happen.” She gave them a little smile, then waved her hand as if to dismiss the previous conversation topic. “How long have you been married?”

“Only three months. We worried we would have to wait longer. Things have been so busy recently, but a gap opened up in both our schedules. It was a small ceremony. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.”

To sell it, Caleb tilted his head to look at Fjord with the most love-struck expression he could muster. While he was expecting Fjord to do the same, the gentle press of lips against his for a fleeting kiss came as a complete surprise. He brought his free hand up to steady himself on Fjord's chest when his lips slowly pulled back from his. Finger gently brushed a lose strand of hair behind his ear, then trailed down to cup his jaw for the briefest of moments.

After clearing his throat, he returned his attention to Lady Solis. “What about you and your wife? How long have the two of you been married?”

“We are coming up on our tenth anniversary.”

“That's amazing. We certainly have a ways to go before we can say that.”

“It'll happen sooner than you expect. The years will fly by.”

“I'm looking forward to all of them.”

The familiar tingle of magic at the back of his mind that meant Jester's voice would soon fill his head had him turning to exchange another kiss with Fjord. “ _Oh, my gosh, Caleb! You and Fjord look so cute! Are you sure you aren't secretly married? Did you get married without telling any of- Beau said to tell you we finished, but you should stay a little longer. You should make Fjord dance with you. We'll meet you at- The inn! Tell Fjord he has to dance with you. Have fun with your husband! Make sure he gives you plenty of kisses. You look-_ ”

When he finally pulled away, he looked at where Lady Solis had been standing before he started the kiss. “She muttered something about newlyweds before she walked away if that makes you feel better.”

“If I knew she left, I would have responded to one of Jester's messages.”

“How many did she send?”

“Three.”

“I'm assuming one of them was that they're leaving.”

“Ja, but they said we are welcome to stay for a few dances. We can meet them back at the inn later.”

“In that case,” Fjord stepped in front of him to press a kiss to the back of his hand with a wink. “can I have this dance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	83. Prompt 83 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb is canonically 5'7" (he said he was average height for a human and in DnD that's 5'7") so do with that what you will. I know Fjord is at least 6'0" and up because He's canonically talked then Yasha (who is 5'11")

After brushing his fingers through his hair a few times, he divided the front into three sections to begin braiding it. He steadily added more and more hair, until he nearly reached the ends and tied it off. The braid settled over his shoulder, allowing him to focus on the newest addition to his library without worry of his hair getting in the way. It didn't take long for him to get lost in the pages detailing the history of an ancient civilization he only heard mention of.

He was so absorbed he didn't notice Fjord joining him, until his lips pressed against the side of his throat. With a hum, he tipped his head to the side to encourage Fjord to continue trailing his lips and teeth along the delicate skin. A hand found its way under his shirt to press firmly against his abdomen. It distracted him enough that he completely missed Fjord slipping the book from his hands and tossing it aside.

“I wasn't done with that.”

“It'll be there later.” A light nip just below his jaw brought a breathy sigh from his lips as he leaned back into Fjord. “Do you really want to go back to it now?”

“You are very distracting.”

“So are you.”

“I was reading.”

“In our bed wearing my shirt. Although, it's more of a dress on you, not that I'm complaining.” The lips moved from his throat along his mostly exposed shoulder and back.

“You left it out.”

“You put it on.”

“Would you prefer I put on my own?”

A low rumble from Fjord was the only warning he got before he was suddenly tipped backwards onto the mattress. Fjord hovered over him on one elbow, so he could slide a hand up his abdomen that curled around his ribs. He brought one leg up to wrap around Fjord's waist, then arched his back to press their chest together.

“Hello there, sailor.” When Fjord began to roll his eyes, Caleb gave a quick kiss that almost caused him to lose his balance. “Please don't crush me. That would ruin the mood.”

“It's not my fault you're so small.”

“I'm not small. I'm average size for a human.”

“Who told you that?”

“Very funny.”

Fjord chuckled under his breath, then dipped down for a kiss that had his toes curling in pleasure. His hands found their way to Fjord's thick hair to tangle it between his fingers and gave a little tug. A groan vibrated against his lips and Fjord's nails dug into his ribs just enough for a slight twinge on the next tug. When their lips parted, they were both breathing slightly heavy.

“You know, I didn't expect wearing your shirt to lead to this. It just looked comfortable.”

“You certainly look comfortable in it. Comfortable and gorgeous,” Fjord kissed along the curve of his jaw, then whispered in his ear. “and I think I'll leave it on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	84. Prompt 84 - Caleb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In relation to the post about Caleb being the third honorary healer, when the Nein reach level 14, Caleb gets Master Transmuter. What this means, is that he can use up and destroy his transmuter's stone to cast a certain spell. This includes panacea - a spell which both removes all cures and diseases affecting one creature along side healing them to full - and restore life - which is just raise dead. Imagine a senerio that winds up with several people dead, including the clerics. They're in Eiselcross and there's nothing they can really easily do, short of legging it back to the Empire (which would raise a shit ton of questions). The remaining Nein are about to start dragging them back, and Caleb walks up to one of the clerics and pulls out his transmuter stone. They just assume, "oh he's gonna shrink them or put them in his necklace" but no. He grasps his stone, and whispers a few words to their god, and the cleric just starts fucking breathing again.

“We can return to the outpost, but they will ask questions.” Despite sounding steady, Essek looked seconds away from falling unconscious. “We have people that can help.”

While those still standing began arguing, Caleb stumbled over to the unmoving body of Caduceus and dropped to his knees. After quickly cleaning the blood off his face, Caleb placed his Transmuter Stone on the middle of his chest. The stone began to glow a warm green as soon as it made contact with his armor.

“Melora, I know I am not a follower, but he is and he is in need of your guidance. Please, help me.” A pleasantly warm weight wrapped around him to guide his hands over the glowing stone. “Thank you.”

As the stone slowly started shifting between colors, Melora's presence began to grow to the point that he could smell fresh grass and flowers. A breeze picked up around him causing the hair that fell loose from his ponytail to swirl around his head. The hands atop his pushed radiant energy through his own fingers that mixed with his arcane magic. It all focused on the stone that steadily grew brighter and brighter to the point it almost hurt to look at it.

He could feel the spell drawing to a close when the color abruptly changed to a vibrant, sparkling pink. "I'm almost hurt you didn't think to ask me for help. Between the three of us, this should be easy."

The moment Artagan finished his sentence the stone shattered into sparkling dust that settle over Caduceus. For a second, nothing happened, then his chest began to rise, and his eyes slowly opened. As the warmth surrounding him receded, a bone deep exhausted slammed into him. He swayed dangerously to one side but managed to stay up right with the help of a warm body.

His head tilted sideways to find Yasha propping him up with her brow furrowed in concern. A hand gently brushed beneath his nose, then came away slightly red. When it finally clicked in his head that it was blood, he leaned heavier into her side and turned his attention back to Caduceus. Like Yasha, Fjord had Caduceus leaning against his side to help him stay up.

“What was that?” The shock in Fjord's voice was mirrored on Veth's and Yasha's faces. “We thought you were putting him in the amber to make moving him easier. How?”

“My Transmuter Stone and Melora and Artagan. I'll need to make another. Caduceus, can you get Jester? I can't do that again.”

Caduceus gave a nod and a tired smile. “It will take an hour, but I can do the same for her. We should be able to get Beau up as well.”

“Good. That's good.”

“And Caleb? Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	85. Prompt 85 - Essek, Caleb & Jester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Would you help manifest Essek seeing Caleb's tower for the first time by writing something quick???? Pls pls pls I know it will probably be a couple episodes before we actually get to see him but I miss him so bad...

Despite his freezing fingers, it only took three tries to wedge the wand in the thick snow deep enough it wouldn't easily tip over. He fumbled the other components out of his satchel, then began hurriedly casting under his breath. Even though he knew that wouldn't speed up the process, he still hoped the tower might decide to appear sooner. As soon as he did, he quickly hopped to his feet and pushed open the door, which greeted him with a blast of warmth.

Once he stepped through, he immediately shed his soaked coat and top layer, then moved out of the way for the others to enter. Beau followed his lead of stripping out of her soaked top layers and let out a low hiss at the sudden change in temperature. The others looked entirely too amused by their suffering with the exception of Essek. He had stopped just inside the door-eyes blow wide.

When he finally tore his eyes away from taking in his surroundings, he turned to Caleb. “I suppose I should not be surprised you altered Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. What do you call it?”

“Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower. Would you like a tour?” Caleb picked his soaked clothes up, then headed to the center of the room to start up to the next level. “Or I could show you to your room for the evening? It might be better to start with a warm bath than a tour.”

“How long is the tour?”

“That depends on how curious you are and whether the others want to show you their rooms.”

Jester suddenly forced her way between the two of them to excitedly latch onto Essek's arm. “Oh, you should come see my room! Caleb made it look exactly like home. It's amazing.”

“He may want a chance to warm up first, Jester.”

“Where is he even going to stay, Caleb? Dagen has the guest room.”

“I converted Veth and I's study for the evening.”

“So, he'll be staying right next to you?”

“Stop that.” He rolled his eyes at Jester, then gave her a gentle shove in the direction of her room on the way by it. “We'll stop by to tour your room in thirty minutes.”

“I'll be waiting for you!”

“That is mildly concerning, but good to know.” She dramatically winked at him as she slowly shut her door, until it finally shut with a loud click. “Maybe, we should tour her room last. Although, that would give her more time than she already has to prepare something.”

“Whatever you think best. I am looking forward to seeing it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	86. Prompt 86 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I feel like when Fjord wears his cloak, he uses it as a blanket for Caleb, and sometimes to hide him. Like imagine Caleb falls asleep down at the inn and Jester is looking for him. The nerd just fell asleep, Fjord’s gonna let him sleep.... unless jester needed him for something serious then sorry Caleb

The soft snores from the wizard curled up on a majority of the bench with his head pillowed on Fjord's thigh continued despite the steadily increasing noise from the evening crowd. They had originally stayed downstairs to share a last drink before heading up to join the others, but between ordering drinks and their arrival Caleb fell fast asleep. It took more time than he would ever admit to carefully move Caleb from resting his head on the table to his thigh. From there, Caleb had curled up like a cat that snuggled closer when Fjord blanketed him with his cloak.

After finishing off the last of his drink, Fjord dropped his hand down to run his fingers through Caleb's soft hair and settled back for at least another hour of acting as Caleb's pillow. He contented himself to people watching, until a voice called his name from across the room. Jester bounded across the room and slammed both her hands down on the table with a wide smile.

“Fjord, have you seen Caleb? We checked your room, but neither of you were there. Did he go somewhere by himself? Is he on a date?”

“What do you need him for?”

“It's a secret.”

“Should I be insulted that I'm not good enough to know the secret?”

“Don't be silly, Fjord.” Jester rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “You know plenty of secrets. Caleb deserves to know some, too.”

“Well, Caleb is sleeping, so it will have to wait.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jester leaned across the table to see the wizard sound asleep on his thigh. She let out a quiet giggle, then wiggled her eyebrows at Fjord and rocked back onto her heels. When he sent an annoyed glare at Jester, her amusement only grew to include making an exaggerated kissy face at him. While he wanted to playful push her away, he didn't dare risk accidentally waking Caleb in the process.

“You should really take him to bed. I'm sure he would be much more comfortable if you did.”

“Please go away. If the others come down here looking for you, they're going to wake him up.”

“But he has you here to protect him.”

With a groan, Fjord dropped his head back causing it to thunk heavily against the back of the booth. A confused noise proceeded the head on his thigh moving as Caleb straightened up and blinked between the two of them. With a loud yawn, Caleb pulled the cloak still around his shoulders more securely around him.

“What happened?”

“Oh, Caleb, you're awake now! You should come upstairs with us. We're working on something and we need your help.”

After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Caleb nodded in agreement. “Ja, I can do that. Fjord, will you be-”

“He can't. Remember, Caleb?”

“Oh, I apologize. Are you sure we should be doing this now? I would not want Fjord to feel left out.”

“It won't take that long, right? Plus, Fjord was just sitting here anyway. I'm sure he won't mind being down here a little longer.”

“Sorry around that.” A light blush dusted Caleb's cheek as he turned his attention to Fjord. “It won't take more than an hour. Do you mind?”

Fjord slid from the booth, then held out a hand to help Caleb out of the booth. “I'm sure you both know I'm too curious to say no. I'll just be polishing my armor in our room. You can come get me when you're done.”

“It won't take long.”

“I'm sure it won't.”

“An hour.” When his hands began to remove the cloak from his shoulders, Fjord place on his to stop him. “Are you sure?”

“It's fine. I don't need it.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	87. Prompt 87 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If it's not too much to ask, maybe write about Fjord noticing how much "overtime" Caleb has to put in to help the group- needing to buy supplies, staying up late and falling asleep studying or preparing spells, using his own wizardly magic to try and heal his friends while in battle. Just... Fjord noticing little things and them all adding up.

The dark bags beneath Caleb's eyes stood out against his pale skin so much that Fjord almost couldn't believe he was standing. Despite his obvious exhaustion, he looked prepared to leave the house. Before he could make it further, Fjord cleared his throat and stepped in his path almost causing a collision. To prevent Caleb from stumbling, a hand pressed against Fjord's chest at the same time Fjord caught him around the waist.

After closing his eyes for a brief moment, Caleb blinked owlishly up at him. “Oh, Fjord. I didn't see you there. I'm sorry. I should pay more attention to where I'm going.”

“I can't say I'm surprised. You look half asleep.”

“I'm a little tired.”

“Then you should get more sleep.”

“I can't. I have things I need to do. I need more paper and ink, and I am running out a few of my spell components. We don't know when we will need to leave, so it's best to stock up now.”

“How about this?” Before Caleb could begin arguing with him, Fjord slowly spun him around to guide him back to his room. “You write me a list of everything you need, then I'll get it for you.”

“There's no need for that. You don't like to shop. I'll do it.”

“If you need someone to do shopping for you, all you need to do is make a list. You don't even have to ask. Just shove a list in my face.”

“I would not do that to you.”

“Fine, you can make a list and ask me to get what you need.”

“Fjord-”

“Caleb.”

A surprisingly heated glare fired his direction when he gently pushed Caleb into his desk chair. “I can do my shopping for myself.”

“Oh, I know you can, like you can stay up all night transcribing spells and researching, and making the tower when we're traveling, and aiding everyone in battle. I know what you're capable of, Caleb, but you need sleep. Let me do your shopping.”

“It won't take me long.”

“Do you not trust me with your shopping?”

With a sigh, Caleb retrieved a spare piece of parchment and ink from his top drawer, then quickly wrote out a list. His neat handwriting filled the page with more items than he would have expected for what Caleb claimed to be a short trip. As soon as he handed it over, Fjord checked over the different items to make sure he would be able to recognize all of them.

“Seems easy enough.” After pocketing the list, Fjord held up a hand to help Caleb to his feet. “Off to bed with you.”

“Wait, I need to give you gold.”

“For what?”

“For-What do you mean for what? You are buying me supplies.”

“Supplies you use for the group.” When Caleb's confusion remained, Fjord gave a fond huff. “Every time we're in town, you have to buy yourself more supplies that you use to help the group. Veth helps you on occasion, but most of the time you do it on your own, which doesn't seem fair considering we all pitch in to buy Jessie and Cad diamonds.”

“Those are expensive, and they can be used to help any of us.”

“Are you trying to tell me all of this doesn't add up?”

“Of course, but that's why-”

“You rarely have any money for yourself?”

“It isn't that bad.”

Fjord gently brushed a strand of hair out of Caleb's face, then lightly ran a finger across a heavy bag beneath his eye. “Let me foot the bill for this one. You spend all your money on supplies to help the group. It's about time someone did a little more pitching in.”

“What if you need something?”

“Caleb, I spend a majority of my money on group health potions and diamonds. I have so much money, I don't know what to do with it. If it will make you feel better, think of it as a gift.”

“Just this once.”

“I-” Once again, Fjord spun Caleb around and guided him to his bedroom door. “will not make a promise I can't keep.”

“You are impossible.”

“And you're stubborn. Have a good nap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	88. Prompt 88 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Please imagine Fjord and Caleb taking a peaceful nap in the Fields of Blumenthal. The sun is warm, wild flowers are abound, Trent is dead, just.... such a good fuzzy thought

He took a deep breath as they crested over the hill to find a sea of flowers stretching out for miles before them. A variety of types and colors covered the ground for as far as the eye could see-most of which he hadn't seen in years. While the others continued ahead to find a spot to settle for a calm afternoon, Caleb took a moment to simply enjoy the view. The light press of a hand against his lower back finally gave him the encouragement he needed to take a step forward.

Despite having every intention of joining the others, his knees began to feel weak about halfway down the hill. Before he could make it much further, he slowly lowered to the ground and took a shuddering inhale. He leaned heavily against the warm body that settled next to him, then gripped the hand that rested on his waist. After taking a few deep breaths, he released his grip and let his head fall comfortably against a broad shoulder.

“Caleb?”

“I'm good. I'm... I'm good.” He turned his head slightly, so he could look up at Fjord's concerned face. “It's still hard to believe that he's gone. I haven't been back here in years. I wasn't sure I would ever get the chance to see this again.”

“It's beautiful.”

“Isn't it? When I first moved to Rexxentrum, this is what I missed the most. As incredible as it is there for a wizard, there's something about here that always made me want to come back to it.”

“And now you are.”

“Ja.”

Fjord gently brushed Caleb's hair out of his face with a smile, then dropped a quick kiss to his forehead. “Did you want to join the others? Caduceus mentioned he packed something special for the occasion.”

“Not right now. I think-I think I just want to enjoy this. For a little while at least.”

A low hum rumbled through Fjord's chest, then he slowly leaned back until they were lying on the hill. Before readjusting to a comfortable napping position, Caleb moved to capture Fjord's lips in a kiss that went much longer than he intended. When they eventually broke the kiss, they rested their foreheads together to enjoy the closeness for a moment longer.

“Is this what you meant by enjoy this?”

“Don't sound so pleased with yourself?”

“What reason do I have not to be? Enjoying a pleasant day with you. Best day I've had in a long while.” They exchanged another kiss, then Fjord let his head fall back to rest against the grass. “I love you.”

Caleb took a moment to find the perfect spot to rest his head on Fjord's chest and tangled their fingers together over his heart. “And I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	89. Prompt 89 - Beau (Empire Siblings/Beauyaster/Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beau using her Jeweler's kit to make everyone in the Nein customized jewelry.

After carefully wrapping the last gift, Beau placed it in the bag with the others and shoved the wrapping beneath her bed. With the bag slung over her shoulder, she headed to the kitchen where she knew the others would be preparing for dinner. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, Jester's flour covered hand waved enthusiastically at her.

“Beau! What took you so long?”

“If you finish that, I could show you.”

“Oh, is it a present?”

“Maybe.”

A wide smile stretched across Jester's face as she picked the pan up and quickly placed it in the oven. “We have an hour until dinner.”

“Is that your way of asking for your present?”

“Does everyone get one?”

“Yeah, Jessie, I have something for everyone.”

“They're in the sitting room. Come on.”

Jester grabbed her by the hand and practically dragged her to the sitting room as quickly as she could without running. Conversation paused when they burst into the room, then a few eyebrows raised when Jester gave her a gentle shove to the middle of the room. Once Jester took a seat next to Yasha, Beau pulled the first present out and handed it to her. After passing the other out, she dropped into the empty spot next to Caleb.

“Go on. Open them up.”

While Jester and Veth tore into their presents, the others calmly removed the wrapping from the boxes in their laps. A loud gasp from Jester pulled her attention to her just in time to see her carefully removing the silver ring. The pink and blue jewels shimmered when Jester slowly turned it in the light of the fireplace.

“Beau, it's beautiful!”

“You like it?”

“I love it!” Jester slipped it on her finger, then held it out to admire it. “Where did you get this?”

“I made it. I made all of these.”

“I love it even more now!”

She placed the hand with the ring over her heart, then rested her other one over it at the same time her smile turned absolutely blinding. While she tried not to blush, a gentle elbow in her side and a soft chuckle told her she was failing miserably. It only grew worse when Yasha revealed an almost identical ring. The dark titanium band fit perfectly onto her finger with the blue and white gems shimmering equally in the fire light.

“You should have proposed with those.” Caleb's low whisper was easily covered to the others by Veth's chattering with Jester about the new bracelet on her wrist. “It's not going to be nearly as impressive the second time.”

“Fuck you. At least I gave it to them, unlike someone else I know.”

“That had nothing to do with me.”

As if sensing them both looking at him, Fjord looked up from inspecting the new cloak pin held carefully between two fingers. “You're both disasters.”

“Don't expect me to argue with you on that.”

“You'd lose if you tried.”

“Which is why I won't try. I like the new earring, Caduceus. It is very fitting.”

“Hurry up and open yours.”

“You have no patience.”

“I worked hard on this shit. Do you know how long yours took? I spent more time on yours than all the others combined. It was a pain in the ass.”

“I feel so special.” With a quick tug, Caleb undid the final knot, then removed the lid to reveal his present. “I'm going to be honest. I'm not sure what this is.”

“It's for your hair. Here.”

She plucked it from the box and shoved at Caleb, until he turned his back to hair. After carefully redoing his typical low ponytail, she pinned back the stray strands on both sides. The third pin clipped onto the hair gathered at the back of his head, then she slowly pulled the chain tight. Once it felt tight enough to keep the pins in place, she did up the final loop and twisted it around his hair tie.

“There, now your hair won't get in your face.”

“You know you're going to have to teach Fjord how to do that.”

When Caleb turned back to face her, Beau hummed to herself and internally patted herself on the back for picking the perfect gem to match his eyes. “I'll do it after dinner.”

“Thank you, Beauregard.” He shuffled a little closer to her and held his arms out. “Hug?”

“Hug.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	90. Prompt 90 - Beau & Veth (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beau is used to Veth mothering Caleb, but is surprised when Veth starts mothering her

A warm blanket wrapped around her shoulders followed by a warm drink forced into her, until she finally wrapped her fingers around it. When she tried to set it aside to grab her journal, her hand received a sharp slap and the journal snatched away. With a huff, she grabbed the drink again, then downed the warm liquid all in one go to get her journal back. Instead of that, the cup was taken from and refilled with more tea.

“Veth, I don't want this.”

“You nearly froze to death in that lake. Drink the tea.”

“It wasn't that bad.”

“You were so blue, you almost looked like Jester.”

“That is not true.” When Veth quirked a questioning eyebrow at her, Beau rolled her eyes in response. “It isn't. I never turned blue, and I'm plenty warm.”

“Just drink the tea.”

“Give me back my journal.”

“Tea first.”

Despite opening her mouth to argue, Veth turned her back to help Caduceus with dinner making it clear she considered the conversation over. A chuckle from her left had her turning to glare at an entirely too amused Caleb. After retrieving her journal from where Veth left it, he took a seat next to her and slid the journal over.

“You're welcome.”

“Shut up.” Beau took an angry sip of her tea, then set it on the ground and flipped the journal open to a blank page. "Normally she just treats you like that.”

“She's just worried about you. We all were.”

“The others aren't trying to swaddle me and force tea down my throat.”

“I would pay good gold to see Veth attempt that.”

“Don't even think about suggesting that to her.”

With a chuckle, Caleb snapped Frumpkin into his lap and began scratching him behind the ears. “I won't, but you should probably get used to it. This is unlikely to be the last time she worries over you.”

“This is your fault.”

“How is this my fault?”

“There's no reason to worry over you, so she's doing it to me instead.”

“That is interesting logic.”

“Why else would she do it?”

“I don't know, Beauregard.” The deadpan tone of Caleb's voice sparked an annoyance unique to him. “Why else would she do it? It couldn't possibly be because she is genuinely concerned for your wellbeing. That doesn't make any sense at all.”

“That was more than concern. She took my journal!”

“I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You're an expositor after all.”

“And you're an asshole.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	91. Prompt 91 - Empire Siblings & Beauyaster & Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb, nonchalantly to Beau, Jester, Yasha, and Fjord because he’s learning and not being a little shit- you know, a captain can legally marry people, and if a captain is getting married, that power goes to their first mate for the day. It’s actually quiet interesting, it started with- Beau, slamming her hands onto the table: Fjord, Boulder, Parchment, shears. Now.

While the others carried on their conversation around him, Caleb continued reading the extensive text on sailing he recently picked up. Most of it, he was already familiar with or had little to do with them, but a few pieces of information were at least interesting. He was approaching the end of the book when a particular piece of information jumped out at him. Before he could think better of it, Caleb spoke loud enough that everyone at the table turned their attention to him.

“You know, a captain can legally marry people, and if a captain is getting married, that power goes to their first mate for the day. It's actually quite interesting, it started with-”

A loud slam cut the rest of his sentence short, then Beau lifted her hand from the table. “Fjord, boulder, parchment, shears. Now.”

“If you want me to marry the three of you, I'd be happy to, but Veth might actually kill me if I told her we were spontaneously getting married because Caleb found out we should. Actually, none of us should do this because Marion might also kill me.”

“It's not like we couldn't have a wedding later. This would just be easier than having to jump through all of those legal hoops. What's the harm in that?”

“I'm pretty sure we would still have to jump through legal hoops to make it official everywhere else.”

“What's the point of being a captain and a first mate if we can't officiate each other's marriages?”

“To keep the ship running. That's the point. That is the only reason ships have captains and first mates. Everything else is just a bonus.”

“Caleb, tell Fjord this is a great idea.”

When Beau turned expectantly to him, he took a moment to look around at the others sitting at the table. Unsurprisingly, Fjord looked halfway to a massive headache and Jester looked completely on board with the idea of someone getting married. Yasha looked nothing short of amused at the entire situation and didn't appear to have a particular opinion either way. 

“Caleb, come on. You're the one that brought it up. It's a great idea!”

“I just thought you might find that interesting. I didn't think you would want to boulder, parchment, shears Fjord for first marriage on the high seas right.”

“Are you saying you don't want to get married to Fjord?”

“Of course not!” His fingers toyed nervously with his engagement band as his eyes flicked briefly to Fjord. “The three of you aren't even engaged. Why are we having this conversation?”

“You're right.”

“I am?”

The moment Beau stood from the table with a smile his suspicion rocketed up. “It's only fair the two of you go first. I'll let everyone know. I bet Caduceus will make something special.”

“Beauregard, that is not what I meant, and you know it.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to find Veth and let her know first. I'm sure she'd love to help.”

“Don't you dare!”

“Try to stop me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	92. Prompt 92 - Caleb (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I would like to share with you something I do in my own games that I DM, just cause. Wizards who overly stress easily are likely to stress polymorph. It’s a free action that takes no components, but they can not turn back until they have calmed down. The instincts of the animal are still there and strong, but the person’s intelligence stays the same. Let’s use Caleb as an example. Since Caleb loves cats so much, for example, He would turn into a cat. For a Wizard who prefers to be stronger but wants to wreck shit to relax- maybe an eagle, or a cheetah. They could hunt, fly, dove bomb, etc to have fun. The point of stress polymorph is basically your magic going “you’re going to explode if you keep this up so you’re gonna be inclined to be stupid for a few hours and relax. Maybe take a nap, or have a snack. Just don’t eat anything that will kill you.”

As soon as the dome appeared around him, Caleb shut his spellbook and went to set out his bed roll for the evening. The magic itch beneath his skin grew to the point he could barely stand it by the time he finally settled his belongings the way he wanted them. After removing his coat and book harness, he let his body and mind sink into the familiar sensation of polymorph shifting his form.

While he was tempted to immediately curl up for a nap, Fjord's exposed back presented too great an opportunity to pass up. With only a little difficulty, he scrambled up his back to perch on his shoulder and began batting at the red string hanging down the front. A hand absentmindedly reached up to shoo him a few times before the proximity caused Fjord to let out a sneeze that almost sent him flying. Before he could dig his claws in to stay on his perch, Fjord plucked him off his shoulder and carefully held him as far away as possible.

“Any other animal. If you would turn into any other animal, this wouldn't be a problem. You could stay up there all you want, but I can't be sneezing all night.” When he swung his paws uselessly in Fjord's direction, he earned himself a put-upon sigh as Fjord crossed the camp to where Beau sat working in her journal. “Take your brother. He's trying to kill me again.”

“It won't kill you to accept his affection for once.”

“I'm more than willing to accept his affection, but I can't do that when I'm allergic to him.”

With a sigh, Beau finally looked up from her work and held out her hand to accept him from Fjord. “You don't have to hold him like he's a bomb.”

“Do you see how watery my eyes are?”

“It's not that bad. Go help Caduceus or something. You can have him back later.”

Despite dumping him off on Beau, Fjord gave him a quick scratch on the chin before retreating to the opposite side of the dome. He ignored the look Beau gave him in favor of spinning around on her lap, until he found the perfect spot. The instant he curled up in her lap, she began slowly running her fingers through his fur in long strokes. His eyes slowly slipped shut and a happy purr rumbled through his small body as he let sleep overtake him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	93. Prompt 93 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 64. Did they hurt you? With A hurt Caleb and a worried Fjord maybe?

With a hiss, Caleb pressed his hand to his throbbing side as he quickly moved back into the main room. Beings similar to the ones that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and attacked him were attacking the other members of the Nein. Before he could get further into the room, a fresh wave of pain slammed through him from an attack that hit him from behind. The force of it sent him stumbling forward right into an unsuspecting Fjord that caught him around the waist.

A crack of thunder echoed through the room that accompanied the familiar tugging sensation of teleporting. His fingers gripped onto Fjord's armor to keep himself steady in spite of the dizziness from the blood loss. He took a few deep breaths to stop the spinning, then looked up to find Fjord's eyebrows wrinkled up in concern.

“Did they hurt you?” Before Caleb could respond, Fjord gently cupped his jaw to heal the wounds on his side and back. “That's the best I can do.”

“That is much better. Thank you.”

“Good. Stay close please.”

As one of the shadow creatures launched at that, Caleb pulled back an adder's stomach, then let loose an arrow that struck it hard in the chest. It almost exploded from the impact of the spell striking, but there were already two more turning their attention to them. Before either could move closer, Fjord placed himself between Caleb and the two staring them down. The glow of his blade illuminated the horrific gaping voids full of sharp teeth that snapped at them.

While one managed to latch onto Fjord's arm, he easily carved through the other before it could even touch him. Fjord grunted at the slam of claws into his side, but he turned his body away from Caleb to keep him out of range of the claws. A scan of the room was all Caleb needed to decide that throwing up a wall of fire through the ones attacking Fjord, Beau and Yasha would be more than worth it. As soon as the flame sprung up from the ground, the four caught in it all let out shrieks of pain.

The release of the teeth on his arm gave Fjord the opening he needed to cleave through it with the Star Razor. On the second strike, it exploded out of existence like the two before it had, giving them some room to momentarily breathe. Fjord gave a shake of his injured arm, then looked over his shoulder.

“It's times like these I wonder why I spend so much time worrying about you when you could kick my ass.”

“That is up for debate. Either way,” Caleb pushed onto the tips of his toes to press a kiss to Fjord's cheek. “I appreciate the concern. However, you should be a bit more careful, so I don't have to worry so much about you.”

“I'll do my best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	94. Prompt 94 - Beauyasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 46 for the prompt list with Beau and Yasha?

Beau wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with one hand while the other shoved her staff back into its holder. From the painful throbbing in her eye, she knew it was on its way to becoming a black eye at the very least. All the other wounds from the fight had been healed enough by Caduceus during it that she could hardly feel them. Of course, the blood would still be a bitch to get out when they decided to retire to the tower for the evening.

With a sigh, she brushed off some of the dirt on her pants, then went to poke around the strange workshop. All the journals, books and random scraps of paper were immediately scooped up for later inspection. She grabbed a few other interesting things that caught her attention that she planned to dump on Caleb as soon as she got the chance.

Once she had the stack stable, Beau turned to face the center of the room again, only to unexpectedly bump into Yasha. Before everything could go flying, larger hands quickly helped her catch it all. Despite feeling it slipping, she ignored it in favor of looking up at Yasha. Splatters of blood decorated her face, and her cheeks were still pink from the exertion of battle.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, well, I didn't mean... You know, I just want to check on you. I didn't mean to.” Yasha indicated the mess barely staying in their arms. “I'm sorry. I can help.”

“It's fine. I can-”

A throat clearing next to her cut off the rest of her sentence much to her annoyance. Her glare was met with an unimpressed eyebrow raise from Caleb as he held out the bag of holding. While Yasha was focused on making sure all the items made it into the bag, Beau motioned for Caleb to go away. With a roll of his eyes, Caleb walked away the instant the last item went in the bag.

“That takes care of that problem.”

Yasha scratched nervously at the back of her neck and took a small step away. “Yeah, sorry again.”

“It's fine. Totally fine. Did you need something? I have my hands free now.”

“No, no, I wanted to say you were really impressive. The thing you did with the jumping off the walls.”

“Oh, you noticed that?”

“It was hard not to. It was so impressive I couldn't look away. I mean, how do you always manage to look so captivating?”

“I-” All intelligible thought sudden left Beau's head despite wanting nothing more than to respond in kind. 

“That's not what I meant to say. It's true, but I didn't... I'm going to help Jester.”

By the time her thoughts came back to her, Yasha was on the opposite side of the room helping Jester lift a heavy wooden bookshelf. A frustrated groan fell from her lips as she leaned back against the wall for physical and emotional support. The sound of a low chuckle next to her drew her attention away from Yasha to Caleb standing next to her with his arms crossed.

“Next time, I would suggest complimenting her in return.”

“Fuck off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	95. Prompt 95 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You’re cute when you’re mad.” / “Yeah, well I’m about to get really fucking adorable.” With writers choice!

The dizziness from whatever was coursing through his veins coupled with the blow to his head made it difficult to stay on his feet. His vision kept shifting from doubled to blurred to tilted in such a sporadic fashion he could hardly keep up. Despite the fight raging around him, he'd given up on trying to get a strike on them with his sword or fire off eldritch blasts. All his energy went to staying on his feet and doing everything in his power not to puke because of the nausea. 

A soft touch against his back almost sent him to the ground when he whipped his head around to see who it was. Electric blue eyes sparking with arcane energy and full of concern bore into his own so fiercely he struggled to meet his gaze. The harsh tone of Caleb's voice told Fjord the phrase that fell from him lips was an expletive in his native tongue. His eyes snapped away from Fjord to scan the area around them with fire already beginning to dance on his fingertips.

Despite his tongue not wanting to cooperate, Fjord managed to get it working enough to speak. “You're cute when you're mad.”

“Yeah, well I'm about to get really fucking adorable.”

The ferocity with which Caleb slammed his hand onto the ground to send out five webs of fire that spidered across the ground made Fjord’s heart flutter. Columns of fire burst beneath the five creatures still alive, immediately incinerating all of them. Fjord let out a low whistle that he instantly regretted when it caused his head to throb painfully. Hands caught him on the chest to help lower him to the ground as his knees gave out.

“Fjord, can you hear me?”

“Yeah." Knowing the threat was neutralized, he didn't feel bad in the slightest for leaning into Caleb for support and closing his eyes. “You're always so warm after you use magic. It's so comforting. Is that why you're always cold at night? You use all the heat up when you do magic.”

“Someone is sounding a little delirious.”

“It's not that bad. All I need is a little sleep and I'll be fine.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

The gentle brush of a hand pushing his hair off his sweaty forehead tempted him to give into the heavy exhaustion settling over him. “How about we wait for Caduceus or Jester to make sure there's nothing concerning before you sleep?”

“I can do that.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

“You're a badass.”

“That's very sweet of you to say.”

“The cutest badass ever, and so warm.”

“You don't say.” Lips pressed against his temple for a brief moment that he wished more than anything lasted longer than it did. “What else is on your mind right now?”

“Where do I even begin, Cay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	96. Prompt 96 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “‘Go away’ is just a lonely person’s way of saying, ‘show me that you care enough to stay’.” Is just begging to get written for something.

With a heavy sigh, Beau set aside her journal when her thoughts refused to cooperate enough for her to connect the pieces floating around in her head. She'd been trying for the better part of the evening to do something productive, but she found herself constantly going back to the disastrous fight they struggled through earlier. Every time she closed her eyes, she either saw Jester's limp body tumbling down the stairs or Caleb pinned to the mast with a large blade through his sternum. Her foot kicked at the side of the crow's nest in frustration as she let her head thud back to stare up at the starry sky above her.

“If your goal was to knock me off, it didn't work.”

“Go away. I'm not in the mood.”

Despite her harsh tone, Caleb ignored her words in favor of dropping next to her with a pained grunt. “'Go away' is just a lonely person's way of saying, 'show me that you care enough to stay.'”

“What bullshit book did you get that from?”

“I'm pretty sure I heard Fjord say that once.”

“That does sound like something he would say.”

“A bit.” The weight of Caleb's head resting on her shoulder preceded a soft sigh falling from his lips. “Is there a reason you decided to sequester yourself up here? Jester has been worried about you all day, but she thought you wanted to be left alone.”

“She had the right idea.”

“Yeah, and how is that going for you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Is sitting up here by yourself making you feel better about how horrible today was? Plenty of time to stew in your own thoughts.”

“Are you really trying to lecture me about unhealthy coping mechanisms?”

Caleb snorted under his breath, then straightened up to look her in the eye. “Would there be a point to lecturing you? You'll do whatever you wish regardless.”

“If the point of this was to be comforting, you're doing a really shitty job.”

“I mostly came up here to get away from everyone else.”

“Veth keep worrying over you?”

“She's not the only one. I'm surprised Fjord let me out of his sight long enough to get up here without him noticing.”

“I can't say I blame him.”

“It was bound to happen eventually. A sword through the chest is a bit of a running theme with our group.” The light punch to his shoulder caused a yelp of pain from Caleb and a glare directed her way. “That was uncalled for.”

“Don't make jokes about dying. It wasn't funny.”

“That doesn't give you an excuse to hit me.”

“I'm just encouraging you not to do it again.”

“Next time, use your words.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	97. Prompt 97 - Molly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “You are very attractive, therefore I will stare at you.” Molly to various members of the Nein maybe?

On the next push up, Beau paused to glare at the tiefling watching her from his perch on a nearby rock. He wasn't even bothering to pretend that he was doing anything other than blatantly watching her do pushups. With a growl of annoyance, she raised one of her hands to flick him off, but he didn't seem the least bit bothered by it.

“What are you staring at?”

“You are very attractive, therefore I will stare at you.”

“I'm not interested.”

“So? I can still appreciate all the work you've put into sculpting a perfect body.”

Beau wrinkled her face up in disgust. “Don't ever say that to me again.”

“What would be the fun of that?”

* * *

The sensation of being watched pulled Caleb out of his intense focus on the book in front of him to find Molly's eyes on him. “Can I help you?”

“You are very attractive, therefore I will stare at you. How else do you appreciate a work of art?”

“I-I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed for me or for you. That was a terrible line.”

“It's not a line. It's the truth. Such beautiful blue eyes and a lovely face.”

“Please stop staring at me.”

“I'll try not to, but no promises. You're too attractive for your own good, darling.”

* * *

“What do you think?” Jester spun around to cause her new dress to flair out like a beautiful flower blossoming. “Isn't it beautiful?”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you. You are very attractive, therefore I will stare at you. The dress is just a bonus.”

“Molly, that's so sweet! Thank you.”

She wrapped him up in a tight hug that lifted Molly right off his feet and twirled them around a few times. After placing him back down, she hurried back into the changing room to switch into the next outfit. Right before entering, she turned back around to give Molly a quick wink that he immediately returned.

* * *

“Would you look at that, dinner and a show.” While he was tempted to keep focusing on his work, Fjord looked up at Molly leaning casually against the door frame. “Hello there, sailor.”

“Stop it.”

“You are very attractive, therefore I will stare at you.”

“Then I'll close the door and you can stare at that.”

“You're no fun.”

* * *

Despite Molly insisting he was fine, Yasha easily plucked him off the ground and carried him over her shoulder. He let out an annoyed huff at her but didn't try in the slightest to wiggle out of her hold. When she set him down next to Nott, he looked up at her with a dizzy smile.

“You are very attractive, therefore I will stare at you. You are too.” Molly's head flopped sideways, so he could look at Nott. “Everyone is so attractive.”

“You have a concussion.”

“That doesn't make any of you less attractive. If anything, it makes all of you more attractive.”

“Well, you are welcome to stare. I'm getting you healing.”

“Yash, you're the best!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	98. Prompt 98 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Can we get a follow up on the cursed leg wound? Do they have to spread out the polymorphs? Is it something they could try to remove the infected tissue? How bad does it get before they get help?

“Five miles to the west.” While unconsciousness threatened to overtake him, Caleb forced his eyes to stay open for Beau's sake. “We are going to be cutting it close.”

A loud shriek that pierced the wind rushing past him was the only response he received from Beau before she began to beat her wings faster. The hints of light flickering on the horizon grew brighter to the point he could just make out the individual sources. They were just outside the small city when the polymorph reached its end returning Beau to her body.

Before she could fall flat on her face, Caleb pulled her arm across his shoulders, then looped his own around her waist. She leaned heavily against him for support when they started their way to the closest entrance. A few people gave them weird looks, but none of them offered any form of assistance or bothered to comment.

“Almost there, Beauregard. Stay awake.”

“Where are we going?”

“There is a temple to the Raven Queen. They will have a cleric there that should be able to help.”

“And if they can't?”

While his eyes stayed focused on the guiding them through the twisting streets, Caleb could feel Beau's eyes on him. “They'll know someone who can.”

Silence fell between them for the rest of the walk to the temple he passed on the way to a book shop just a few days prior. Despite doing his best to keep a steady pace, Beau's increasing reliance on him to take her weight made it increasingly difficult. By the time the temple finally came into view, her breathing was shallow, and she wasn't putting any weight on her injured leg.

After overcoming the small set of stairs leading to the temple, Caleb pushed the door open and hurried them both inside. The lone individual in the temple looked up from their work at the sound of their footsteps on the stone floor. Their eyes went wide upon realizing their state, then they pushed back from their desk to meet them.

“What happened?"

“Something stung her on the leg. It's necrotic. The tissue is dying. There was nothing we could do.”

“Set her down here.” They motion to a cushioned bench just inside the entryway. “I'll get someone that can help.”

“Thank you.”

As carefully as possible, Caleb lowered Beau to the bench and slowly lifted her injured leg onto it to avoid hurting her. For a moment, her eyes cracked open to stare blankly at the ceiling and she mumbled something that included Jester's name. He took her hand and gave a firm squeeze that had her eyes sliding shut once again.

“Let me see what we have here.” A calm voice washed over him as a hand settled on his shoulder. “It looks like you got her here just in time. A few more minutes and this would be much more difficult. Give me an hour and she'll be sleeping it off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	99. Prompt 99 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: oh wow Fox gosh I sure wish you would mayhaps write some possessive/proud of their man widofjord for me pretty please 🥺 🙂

“I'm sorry. I don't believe I heard you correctly.” Fjord slammed the Volstrucker they caught sneaking around the ruin behind them into the wall harder than before. “I asked what you're doing here. The response I expect from that question is an explanation. Anything else, I'm not interested in. So, let's try this again. What are you doing here?”

While it was brief, their eyes flicked over to Caleb just long enough that he knew Fjord caught it. Fjord's lips twisted into a snarl as he shifted to put himself in the way of their line of sight to Caleb. He pressed them further into the wall to make his intimidating form all the more present as he towered over them.

“If Trent wants information, he can ask. We don't take kindly to people poking around in our business.”

“He always has an eye on him.”

“I sincerely hope you didn't expect that to make your stalking acceptable because it doesn't. Trent can keep an eye on him all he wants, but he's not going to get within fifty feet of him without one of us around. Looking for an opening is going to lead you to that conclusion. You can tell him that when you report back to him.” Fjord bent his head lower to bring their faces within inches of each other. “And, you can tell him to stop sending people to do his dirty work for him. I would think we're past that. We had such a lovely dinner together after all, which we would be happy to do again. Did you get all that?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now, get out of here. If we see your face again, we won't hold back.”

As Fjord took a step back, his grip on the Volstrucker released and he motioned for them to leave through the door they entered. He barely gave them enough room to slip out from between him and the wall to make a quick retreat. Before his eyes could flick back to Fjord, an elbow to his side pulled his attention to Beau standing smugly next to him.

“You can stop staring.”

“Can you blame me? My man was very impressive there. You would be doing the same if it were Jester or Yasha.”

Beau fondly rolled her eyes at him, then threw an arm across his shoulder with a smirk. “There is no circumstance where I would make the face you're making right now. It's actually disgusting.”

“Hush up. Let me enjoy this.”

“You have one minute, then I'll tease you about this as much as I like.”

“It will be worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	100. Prompt 100 - Caleb & Fjord (Hinted Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I think the funniest thing that won’t happen in CR is The bloodpact somehow making Caleb Fjord’s patron after a while Because oh boy that’s a hell of a way to flatter a magic user “congrats, you’re so powerful you can make other people powerful!” Because the Wild mother AND The Traveler would see that and go “this is the greatest way to fuck the sea slug ever” and never mention it

“You are an interesting one.” The woman perched on the edge of her chair with her eyes completely focused on Fjord. “You certainly have Melora's favor, but there's more to you than that.”

“I'm not sure I know what you mean.”

“Magic always leaves its traces. Even though it is faint I can still see Uk'otoa's hold on you, like a scar that never goes away.”

“But it's gone.”

“Oh, yes. He no longer has any control of you or your magic, but there is something else there. It's not like anything I have ever seen before. There's something... unique about it.”

It was easy to read the concern in Fjord's eyes when he momentarily flicked them over to where Caleb and Beau sat quietly listening to their conversation. “In what way?”

“There's no need to be so worried. It's nothing bad. How much do you know about magic?”

“Not much. That's more of Caleb's expertise.”

For the first time since she welcomed them into her home, Belanta's gaze moved away from Fjord to focus entirely on Caleb. “A wizard, and a powerful one at that. You are covered in scars, yet your magic flourishes. A very powerful one. That would explain it.”

“Explain what.”

“The reason your magic is so unique. It does not come from a typical patron. Fae, abyssal, celestial. Your magic stems from a source so rare, I've only read about it.”

“Which is?”

“Can I see your hand?” The odd request had Fjord sticking out a hand that she waved away and motioned to the other. “Tell me about this.”

When Fjord's eyes once again looked his way, Caleb shifted forward in his seat and held out his hand. She took his hand as gently as she took Fjord's, then took a moment to inspect the two of them with a critical eye. After giving a small nod, she gently turned Caleb's hand over and placed his on Fjord's-scarred palm to scarred palm.

“Blood magic is one of the oldest forms of magic. Promises sealed in blood are powerful, especially when both sides have trust in the other. The stronger the trust, the stronger the pact. In blood, two souls can become eternally intertwined.”

“So, our souls are bonded.”

“Very much so. This bond is what has allowed you to continue to have access to the magic you gained from Uk'otoa.”

“Are you...” With their hands pressed together, he could feel the twitch of Fjord's fingers against his palm and wrist. "I'm getting my magic from Caleb?”

“Yes.”

“What about Melora?”

“Your allegiance to her undoubtedly sped up the process of your magic returning under your new patron, but it does not fully stem from her. Her influence is limited to your paladin abilities. The source of most of your magic is right here.” She pressed their hands between hers for a brief moment, then rose from her chair. “I'm sure you would like a moment to yourselves. We can return to the topic of Uk'otoa after you are done. Beau, would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?”

Without waiting for a response, Belanta motioned for Beau to follow her out of the room and closed the door behind them. As soon as it clicked shut, fingers curled lightly around his wrist as Fjord dropped to a knee in front of him. When Caleb refused to meet his gaze, a gentle hold on his chin tilted his head.

“Fjord, what do we do?”

A little smile appeared on Fjord's face and he straightened up to bring their foreheads together. “We make it work, like always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	101. Prompt 101 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I feel like a sweet thing Fjord does for Caleb when he’s tired is read whatever Caleb is reading aloud so the Wizard might nap. “Just close Your eyes and relax for a bit. You don’t need to sleep, I’m just letting you rest your eyes for a moment.” Like? Feels very Fjordy

Despite his best attempts to keep his eyes open, Fjord could see Caleb struggling to do so for more than a few seconds at a time. However, the book open in his lap meant his determination to stay awake won out over his own body's obvious needs. Every time it seemed like he finally gave in, his eyes would suddenly snap open and return right to where he left off. The tenth time it happened Fjord finally rose from his spot crowded around a table watching Beau, Veth and Jester play some card game he didn't understand to join Caleb by the fire.

He placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder to give him a gentle shake that earned him an up-close look at beautiful blue eyes full of exhaustion. “I have an offer, if you're open to it.”

“Of course, Fjord. What is it?”

“How about I read to you for a little bit? You can just close your eyes and relax for a bit. You don't need to sleep, I'll just letting you rest your eyes for a moment by doing the reading for you.”

“I would not want to force you to do that. It's very dry. You should go back to enjoying the card game. I'll be fine.”

“I'm going to be honest with you, I still have no idea what they're doing or a single rule for that game. At least reading something dry, might actually help me get to sleep at a decent hour tonight.”

“If you're sure...” After a moment of hesitation, Caleb held out the book to Fjord, then snuggled back into his armchair with a blanket wrapped snugly around him and his legs curled up on the cushion. “Just for a few minutes.”

“I'll trust your keen mind to keep track of time.”

“I can do that.”

Once he settled himself in his own chair, Fjord began reading from the book open on his lap. As Caleb said, the material was on the dry side with most of it being technical jargon he didn't fully understand. Luckily, it didn't take long for Caleb to go from resting with his eyes shut to fast asleep. Soft snores fell from his lips and his head was slowly slipping from where it rested against the side of the chair.

As quietly as possible, Fjord placed the book on the side table between them, then rose from his chair. He adjusted the blanket to wrap securely around Caleb, then slid his arms beneath his legs and his back to lift him. While Fjord initially worried Caleb would wake when he moved him, the wizard simply turned his face into Fjord's chest. On the way to his room, Caleb snuggled further into him to the point he clung to Fjord when he attempted to set him on his bed.

In the process of trying to put him down, the snore came to an abrupt halt and his eyes opened. His eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion for a moment, then his hand twisted into the front of Fjord's shirt to give a firm tug. The unexpected strength behind it caused Fjord to lose his balance and almost fall on top of him. 

Before Fjord could move, Caleb curled up against his side with his head pillowed on his chest. “Go to sleep.”

“Good night to you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	102. Prompt 102 - Caleb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Angst queen perhaps I could interest you in a fic where Caleb is a torture snob on main? Whether he’s the one hurt or not he’s just critiquing the work, maybe someone said something and Caleb unthinkingly shares some Fun Trivia and the MN are just looking at each other like “uhhhhhhhhhh....... can we get some therapy?”

Caleb watched in disinterest as they ripped out another fingernail on his left hand, like that would suddenly loosen his tongue. With a heavy sigh, he let his head fall against the back of the chair and stared up at the ceiling. A hand gripped his hair to force him to look at the one perched on a stool in front of him holding the pliers.

“Finally had enough?”

He rolled his eyes at the self-satisfied tone of the man's voice. “No, I was wondering at what point you planned to start. If you want to drag things out, you drag out the painful part or build the anticipation. Taking your sweet time is just boring.”

“Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?”

“Would it help?”

“Maybe, I should cut out your tongue next. Would that be better?”

“It would certainly be more interesting. It's not like you bothered to determine whether there's something I fear that you could use against me. You just assumed because I'm the weakest of the group, that torturing me would be easy. You'd get me screaming and the others would give you whatever information you wanted to make it stop. Pull out a few fingernails and that would be it. You didn't even bother to bring anything else with you. All you are doing is wasting all of our time.”

“I'm wasting your time?”

“No, I said you are wasting all of our time, which is unfortunate for you. You should really do a better job. For instance, it's generally considered best practice to silence magic users.” A loud knock echoed off the stone walls of their cell, causing both their captors to jump in surprise. “Another word of advice, not that it will do you much good now, but you should use more than one shackle if you want people to stay in chains. One makes it too easy to get free.”

Another knock filled the room, but this time the two next to him jumped into action before he could cast again. The one standing behind him slammed a hand over his mouth, while the other reached for a dagger in their waistband. Before he could do anything with it, a punch cracked across his jaw sending a tooth flying. Beau's following flurry of blows sent him to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Any worry of the other one doing something drastic went out the window when Yasha pulled him away. She slammed his face hard against the stone wall twice, then threw an elbow that struck him square in the nose. He went down so hard the sound of his skull cracking against the ground echoed louder than the spell.

As soon as he hit the ground, Beau ripped the leather cuffs off his wrists with a disapproving glare. “When we get out of here, we need to have a conversation about giving your captors advice on how to better torture you.”

“What? It's not my fault they had no idea what they were doing. It was pathetic.”

“That's not... We'll talk about this later. Let's get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	103. Prompt 103 - Beauyaster (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Oooo after the last tumblr request, would you mind doing one where Beau actually proposes to Jester and Yasha? (Or one of the other two proposes, your choice) Love your fics thank you so much for writin them!

As she paced nervously around the library, Beau played with the two rings she'd spent almost a year and a half making. The parchment she clutched in her free hand had crinkled where she held it and some of the words were illegible. Luckily, she'd already memorized every word on the page long before they disappeared from the page.

On her next circle around the room, an exasperated sigh came from the desk where Caleb sat with a stack of books. Her glare did little to deter him from rolling his eyes at her as he placed his pen in the inkwell. Before she could turn her back on him to continue pacing, he rose from his chair and motioned for her to join him in the armchairs by the fire.

“I don't know why you're so nervous. They're going to say yes.”

“That's easy to say when you're the one that got proposed to.”

“And yet, you came here instead of going to Fjord. We both know he was a mess before he proposed, which was ridiculous. Of course, I was going to say yes.”

“Yeah, but the two of you are gross.”

“Thank you, Beauregard.” He tossed a throw pillow at her, then settled back in his armchair. “All of you are gross as well, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“We are not gross.”

“Last week, Yasha carried you because you were too tired to walk, and the week before that you had Jester carry you because you lightly bumped your head and claimed to be dizzy.”

“So, I like to be carried around. What does that matter?”

“I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I'm just pointing out that you three are just as gross as Fjord and I are, which, by your logic, means you have nothing to worry about. You will ask them to marry you and they will say yes. It is as simple as that.”

With a groan, Beau slumped low in her chair. “But it's not that simply.”

“Is that true or are you making it more difficult on yourself than it has to be?”

“I am not making it more difficult.”

“You have been in here for two hours and twenty minutes reading over the speech you wrote that you memorized a week ago. Stop putting it off. Ask them.”

“That is not-”

A knock followed by a bright voice filtered through the door that immediately sent her blood running cold in fear. Caleb rose with a smile on his face that immediately sent a shot of betrayal through her when she grabbed his coat on the way to answer the door. Before she could try to hide, the door opened to reveal an excited Jester bouncing on her toes with a much calmer yet smiling Yasha behind her.

“Hi, Caleb! Is Fjord taking you somewhere?”

“Ja, I have a few errands to run, then we'll be having dinner out. Don't ruin the house while we are gone.”

“Can I paint your room? I promise it will be perfect!”

“If you have the time, but there is no rush.”

“You're the last one! I can take extra-long on yours.” She wrapped him up in a tight hug, then ushered him out of the room. “Now, go on. You don't want to leave Fjord waiting!”

Without waiting for him to leave, Jester skipped across the library to pull Beau right out of her chair. Jester spun her around with a huge smile before setting her back down to give Yasha a chance to get a hug in. As soon as they parted, Beau realized the rings were still clutched tightly in her hand. Before she could panic and try to sneakily hide them in her pocket, Beau cleared her throat and steeled her nerves.

“I'm glad you're back. There was something I wanted to talk to you about.” She cleared her throat a second time as she clutched the rings tighter in her hand. “You know things were really shitty before I met all of you. I never imagined I'd be this happy, and a lot of that is because of the two of you. No matter what happens, I know the two of you will be there for me and I hope you know I'll be there for you too.”

“Of course, we know that, Beau!”

“Good because I love you both, and, um...” With a bit too much force, Beau dropped to the ground on one knee and opened her hand. “Will you marry me?”

“Beau!”

Before Jester slammed into her, Beau had time to shut her hand to prevent the rings from flying out of it. They would've hit the floor if it weren't for Yasha wrapping her arms around them both to keep them up. She relaxed into the warmth of their embrace and would have been upset for it to end, except Jester excitedly holding out her hand immediately sent all other thoughts out of her mind. The ring sat perfectly on her finger as did Yasha's when she slid the matching onto hers.

“I love you.”

“We love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	104. Prompt 104 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you want some angst, maybe Essek having to message Fjord because Caleb collapsed during magic practice? Being sick sucks for Caleb because it doesn’t hit him until he’s already passing out that somethings wrong. Because of years with Trent.

“Fjord,” He paused in the middle of pouring tea into Beau's cup at the typically calm voice filling his head with a tinge of worry coloring his words. “I am in need of your assistance. Caleb collapsed and I am not sure what is wrong with him.”

“I'll be right over.”

Without another word, Fjord placed the teapot down and hurried out of the kitchen to grab his coat and boots. A light rain greeted him as soon as he set foot outside the Xhorhaus, which didn't surprise him in the least. The last few days of their journey back to Rosohna escorting an important caravan of rare supplies for the Bright Queen had featured pouring rain. It hadn't looked prepared to let up any time soon, but he was glad to find that it cleared enough he could easily rush through the familiar streets to Essek's home without having to strain his eyes.

By the time it finally came into view, his hair was dampened and the cold from the blistering wind nearly had him shivering. He was grateful to find the door open as soon as his knuckles knocked against the wood. While he rushed to the library that Caleb and Essek normally spent their time in, the door clicked shut behind him. A voice greeted him as soon as he entered the library that drew his attention to a couch near the fireplace.

Despite being covered in a blanket, Fjord could see him shivering from across the room. He spared Essek a brief look in thanks, then focused all his attention on Caleb once he reached him. When his hand gently pressed against his forehead, an abnormal heat radiated off it and sweat damped his skin. After a moment of hesitation, Fjord placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder to give him a light shake that ended up being enough to wake him.

“Hey, Cay. How are you feeling?”

“Fjord? Where am I?”

“You're at Essek's. You passed out." His hand brushed back the hair sticking to Caleb's forehead. “Do you remember that?”

“I remember we were working on a new spell, then I got dizzy all of a sudden.”

“I think you're sick. You're burning up. We have been in the rain the past few days.”

“Yeah, that would explain it.”

“Think you can make it home? It's just a light rain right now.”

“Not sure. I'm tired.”

“I can carry you, but I don't want to move you if it will make it worse.”

“If you can carry me, I want to go home.”

“Okay, I'll take you home.”

When he made to remove the blanket, Essek waved him off, then draped his coat over him and handed Fjord his scarf. He gave Essek a nod of thanks and slipped his arms beneath Caleb to lift him. Caleb curled into his chest with one hand gripping the thin fabric of Fjord's shirt and a soft sigh. With Caleb secure in his arm, Fjord followed Essek's led to the front door and bid him goodbye before heading out into the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	105. Prompt 105 - Widofjord (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: semi pre-Widofjord prompt: Caleb rather likes his new green belt. And his comfy new chair really....he just wished he knew why Fjord was manhandling him and glaring daggers at the other half orc across the tavern. All he had said was that Caleb had a cute accent. If only Fjord didn't like Jester the way Caleb liked Fjord though. (Jealous!Fjord + oblivious!maybedrunk?Caleb)

The press of Fjord's hand against his lower back guided him away from the handsome half-orc at the bar he didn't even get a chance to introduce himself. Before he got to do more than compliment Caleb on his accent, Fjord appeared out of nowhere claiming that Beau had been asking for him. Without question, Caleb followed his lead to the crowd bar to the table in the corner they claimed for their group when they entered the tavern. Once they reached the table, Fjord pulled back the chair between Beau and the wall for Caleb. After taking the seat, Fjord pushed his chair closer to the table and muttered something about getting them water.

He blinked in confusion at Fjord's back, then looked to Beau for some sort of explanation. “Did I do something wrong?”

Beau nearly snorted her drink out of her nose but managed to force it down instead. “No, what could you have possibly done wrong?”

“I don't know. It kind of feels like I have been put in timeout. Are you sure I didn't do anything wrong? Fjord has been so nice to me lately. I don't want to make him mad. He gave me this fancy belt and that new armchair. It's so comfy. I've already fallen asleep in it three times this week when I was trying to read.”

“Caleb, he's not mad at you.”

“Then why did he make me come over here and why did he glare at him.” He pointed at the half-orc now deep in conversation with a beautiful drow. “All he did was say my accent is cute. What is so wrong with that? Does Fjord not like my accent?”

“Oh, boy. You are way too drunk for conversation right now.”

“I am not that drunk. Could a drunk person do this?” He changed his appearance to look like Beau, then stuck his tongue out at her before letting it drop. “See I'm not that drunk. Now, answer the question. Does Fjord not like my accent?”

“I can assure you that Fjord likes your accent.”

“Then what is it? He was having plenty of fun with Jester. I wasn't trying to ruin that. I just wanted another drink.”

“It was nothing you did.”

“I had to have done something or Fjord wouldn't have made me come over here.”

After draining the rest of her ale, Beau rubbed at her temples like she was trying to rid herself of a headache. “Caleb, you did nothing wrong. Fjord is the one that has a problem that he should talk to you about instead of being a dick about it.”

“So, Fjord is upset with me. I don't know what I did to upset him. I thought we were good. I can't think of anything I would have done recently.”

“That's not what I said.”

“You said Fjord has a problem, which means it has to be a problem with me. Should I apologize?”

“Absolutely not. You have done nothing that you should apologize for. In fact, Fjord should be the one apologizing to you.”

“But he hasn't done anything that would warrant an apology.”

“Listen to me,” With a sigh, Beau pulled him into side and let him rest his head on her shoulder. “we're going to drink plenty of water tonight, so you don't wake up hungover. Tomorrow, I'll remind you what happened, and you can talk to Fjord about it while you're sober.”

“I remember everything, Beauregard.”

“Then talk to Fjord tomorrow when you're sober. He owes you an apology.”

“I don't know why, but I'll do it for you.”

“Good. I'm sick of putting up with this shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	106. Prompt 106 - Fjord & Yasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I had a dream where Fjord's mom turned out to be Yasha's older sister (I think Uk'otoa was sealed away by some celestials that Yasha's bloodline came from and they wanted Fjord due to that) so prompt if your open to them, 5+1 Fjord and Yasha have nephew aunt moments and laughing and the one time they discussed the whole found family thing finding them actual family.

**1.**

A hand appeared in front of him to help him back to his feet as easily as he might pull a child up to theirs. Yasha gave him a soft pat on the back and a small smile that made him fell a little better despite his wounded pride. He brushed the dirt off the back of his pants, then huffed in annoyance at the realization he partially landed in mud.

“Thanks, Yasha.”

“If we hurry back, none of the others will find out.”

“This is why you're the best.”

Laughter so soft he could barely hear it brightened Yasha's face. “Thank you, Fjord.”

* * *

**2.**

After ordering two ales from the bar, Fjord weaved his way through the crowded tables of the tavern to a booth in the back corner. Yasha accepted the mug with a thankful smile, then motioned for him to join her. He settled onto the bench across from her with his own and took a moment to enjoy the silence between them. When he finished off his ale, he set the mug aside to have space for a small paper bag he removed from his bag.

“This is for you.”

Yasha curiously opened the bag, then sent him a wide smile as she pulled a flower from it. “This is beautiful.”

“They're a local specialty. According to the shop owner, you can only find them here.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

**3.**

“I'm really drunk right now.” Fjord leaned heavily into Yasha before his drunk state landed unconscious on the ground of the shady tavern they decided to stay for the night. “Why did I agree to a drinking competition with a wine child?”

The snort of laughter was unexpected, but Fjord felt pleased all the same for earning it from the typically stoic woman. "You did not do so bad.”

“She kicked my ass. Fucking monks.”

“Next time. You will beat her next time.”

“You think so?”

“Of course.”

* * *

**4.**

“What are you doing?”

Fjord nearly jumped in surprise at Yasha's voice sounding so close to his ear. “What?”

“I do not think that is what they meant when they asked us to stay up on watch.” When her eyes flicked over to Caleb, he felt a blush immediately stain his cheeks in embarrassment at being caught. “If you wanted advice, I might be able to help.”

“That... That would be great.”

“Show patience and be gentle with his heart.”

“I can do that.”

* * *

**5.**

Before he could end up flat on his face, an arm wrapped around his waist and slung his own across wide shoulders. With a grunt, he did his best to not give into the weakness of his knees as they made their way back to the others. The pain from the wound in his side gave an almighty throb that had him doubling over despite his best efforts to stay up.

“Careful.” Warmth suddenly radiated through his side, causing the wound to slightly heal. “Don't move too quickly.”

“I don't think I could even if I wanted to.”

“That is probably for the best. You are in need of a rest.”

Fjord gave a soft snort that he immediately regretted when it sent a flare a pain through his side. “I shouldn't have done that.”

“Next time, you'll listen when I tell you to be careful.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

* * *

**+1.**

While the others played a card game, Fjord took a chair next to Yasha to keep an eye on them at a distance. A mug appeared in front of his face that he took and had a quick sip from, then sent a thankful smile to Yasha. She smiled in return as her eyes flicked momentarily over to the group laughing at Beau's increasing rage.

“This is quickly becoming a dangerous game.”

“That's what family does.”

“Is, uh, that something you and your sister would do?”

“Sometimes.” Yasha looked over to him with a melancholy expression. “It is incredible how much you have grown to remind me of her. She would have been proud of the man you have become.”

“You know, after we all met, I hoped I might find something with this group. I never expected it to be a family, especially not someone from a family I didn't know I had. Funny how that worked out.”

“I think we are both grateful for that.”

“More than grateful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	107. Prompt 107 - Caduceus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I am suddenly hit with questions about Caduceus. As the Party’s primary healer (and doctor at this point with some help from Caleb or Beau about organs probably) how does Caduceus handle each of the Nein when they’re sick? How do the Nein take care of sick Caddy?

A gentle hand shook his shoulder drawing him from the deep sleep he fell into in the middle of studying. The sudden snort of someone else being woken up nearby surprised him, until the memory of Beau joining him in his research slowly entered his tired mind. His face scrunched into a grimace at the sight of her dripping nose and bloodshot eyes. Before he could comment, an unexpected sneeze almost caused him to bang his head hard into the table.

“Here you go, Mr. Caleb.” He took the offered handkerchief to cover the next one, then sat back in his chair with a sniffle. “There we go. Now, I think it is time we get both of you to bed. You need rest, some soup and a warm cup of tea. Up you go.”

With Caduceus's help, Caleb found himself tucked securely into his bed followed closely by another warm body. Despite the heat from what must be a fever, Beau immediately wrap herself around him in an incredibly sweaty hug. His weak attempt at shoving her away did nothing to move her, if anything she snuggled closer and wiped her nose on his shirt for good measure.

“Get some rest. I'll be back with soup and tea.”

“Thank you, Caduceus.”

“You're welcome.”

* * *

“Good morning. How are we feeling today?”

Slowly, Yasha cracked his eyes open to find Caduceus poking his head into her room with a soft smile. “Better. A headache and some exhaustion.”

“That's very good. Is there anything you need?”

“No, thank you. Beau checked on me earlier.”

“I'm not surprised. Well, I thought I could at least bring this to brighten up the room a light.”

As Caduceus slipped into her room, he let in as little light as possible and shut it most of the way behind him. He crossed the room to place a beautiful vase of flowers on her bedside table. Even in the little light filtering in from the wall, she could make out the gorgeous colors of the flowers.

“These are beautiful.”

“I'm glad you like them. They need a little water every few days. Get well soon, Yasha.”

* * *

“Both of you lay back down or I will get Caleb.” Fjord huffed in annoyance as he dropped back onto the couch and accepted the bowl that Caduceus held out to him. “That's much better. You will both get better much faster if you take it easy.”

“This is nice of you to do, but we're both fine.”

“After you both get better, you will be fine.”

Before he could argue, Caduceus took a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it across his lap. He followed that up by moving over to Veth and fluffing the pillows circled around her, like a personal fortress. Once he was satisfied, Caduceus took a seat on the plush armchair across in the corner and pulled a cup of tea from seemingly nowhere.

“Please, eat your stew, Mr. Fjord. I promise it will help.”

* * *

“Caduceus,” While it hurt to speak, she didn't want to be left alone and feeling miserable. “what did your family used to do for you when you were sick? My momma would tell me stories.”

“That sounds nice. My siblings and I would pile together to comfort each other. Would you like me to tell you a story?”

Rather than risk the pain again, Jester nodded enthusiastically and moved over to give Caduceus space to join her. He took the offered spot, then tucked the blanket around the both of them until they were in a cozy cocoon. She snuggled close to him with her head pillowed on his thigh and her hand tangled in the blanket to keep it tucked under chin.

“I think I have the perfect story. I'm going to tell you a story about my siblings that's spooky.”

* * *

Each cough caused his chest to constrict painfully and the tickle at the back of his throat to itch. Despite his miserable his body felt, the warm bodies surrounding him provided the comfort he needed to relax. The earthy smell of tea managed to get through his clogged nose, tempting him to force his eyes open. He accepted the cup from Caleb, then smiled in thanks at the bowl of soup that Jester happily placed next to him.

“Are you feeling better, Caddy?” Beau placed a blanket around his shoulders, then plopped onto the blankets next to him. “There's some bread in the oven. It should be done in an hour.”

“That sounds wonderful. I think I'll take a nap.”

“You should drink some tea and have a little soup first. Fluids are important when you're sick.”

“I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	108. Prompt 108 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I feel like Caleb and Beau have what is known as Caddy‘a corner. Where they both grab their books and just.... platonically cuddle with Caduceus while he reads, and they read.

Despite his exhaustion, his mind refused to calm enough for him to even consider getting some sleep. Instead, Caleb plucked a random book off one of the shelves and grabbed a cozy blanket that Jester ordered special for him, claiming that her mother couldn't sleep without hers. The fond memory gave his mind something to focus on as he tried not to trip up the stairs on his way to the roof. He let out a huff of annoyance at the sight of Beau already snuggled up in the blankets in pillows with Caduceus.

With Caduceus busy reading a book on mushrooms, Beau took his distraction as a chance to stick her tongue out at him in victory. While he was tempted to do the same, he decided to plop down on Caduceus's other side instead. Caduceus easily adjusted to let Caleb get comfortable against his side, then wrapped an arm around Caleb's to keep him there. Between the warmth from the blankets and Caduceus, he knew his reading would turn to sleep in no time, but he opened his book all the same.

As he expected, he barely reached the end of the chapter when his eyes began to grow heavy and difficult to keep open. He tried for a few more pages to continue reading, then let the book fall from hands to join the pile of pillows. On the cusp of sleep, a slight jostle on Caduceus’s other side annoyed him enough to crack an eye open. He glared at the book being held out to him, but still accepted it and placed it next to the other one.

“You should read that one. It's about a half-orc sailor that stumbles into dark secrets about a powerful wizard organization and saves a former member, a human wizard, trying to take the organization down. The two end up working together to take them down and fall disgustingly in love with each other in the process. Plus, they fuck. A lot.”

“You're making that up.”

“No, I've read plenty of smut books and this somehow has the best plot and the most sex.”

Even though he was comfortable, Caleb turned his head to give Beau the full brunt of the worst glare he could manage while half-asleep. “That's not what I meant, and you know it.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“You're the worst. Let me nap. I'll read the book later.”

“This is the reading corner, not the napping corner.”

“Says the one that always naps.” A soft pat on the head from Caduceus encouraged him to snuggle back into him and let his eyes close once again. “Also, don't act like you didn't come up here to do the exact same thing. Go to sleep.”

“Don't tell me what to do.”

The gentle rumble of Caduceus laughing preceded him speaking. “It's always nice when you both join me. It's like being at home again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	109. Prompt 109 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord.... full orc raging.... to protect Caleb.... only letting caduceus near because the wild mother can calm him down just that tiniest smidge to allow it- Brother gentle, brother can help mate. Mate safe with brother. Everyone else not clan will die.

The instant Caleb released a last weak breath and his eyes slipped shut, it was like a flip switched in Fjord. An enraged roar echoed off the cavern walls as Fjord rushed across the short distance to Caleb, putting himself between his still body and the cultist that killed him. The Star Razor slashed through the air in wide arcs that sent black blood spraying from the new wounds cut across their chest. Fear spiked through Beau's chest that Fjord would soon follow Caleb when the cultist sliced into him with a familiar falchion twice, but that didn't happen.

Instead, the fury in Fjord grew to an intensity that she had never seen from him before. His next swing of the Star Razor flashed so quickly through the air she could hardly track the movement of it. The force behind it sent the cultist to the ground with a horrific shriek that drew the attention of the others still up right to him. Without any care for the attention on him, Fjord placed a boot on the center of the cultist's chest, then lifted the Star Razor above his head and plunged it straight through their skull.

While the other cultists scattered now that their leader lie dead at Fjord's feet, all his attention shifted focus to Caleb. He dropped the Star Razor to the ground without a care for where it landed as he dropped to his knees. As carefully as possible, Fjord lifted Caleb's upper body into his arms and gently brushed back the hair stuck to his forehead by sweat and blood. He shifted his hand down to gently cradle Caleb's jaw, then leaned down to press their foreheads together.

When Beau moved to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, his eyes rose to glare at her and a warning snarl tugged back his lips to put his growing tusks on full display. While she didn't back away, Beau did freeze midstep to see what Fjord would do. Although he didn't snarl at her again, his defensive posture remained and continued to grow as the other members of the Nein drew closer. The only one that didn't seem confused by Fjord's behavior was a surprisingly calm Caduceus that continued to walk closer to Fjord.

Unlike the rest of them, Fjord showed no sign of taking issue with Caduceus and even let him place a palm on Caleb's forehead. A bright glow radiated from Caduceus's other hand that began to turn a vibrant green, until the diamond shattered into dust. As the dust settled over Caleb's body like a blanket, he suddenly sucked in a deep breath and opened his eyes. 

“Fjord?”

Before Caleb could manage anything else, Fjord adjusted his hold to pull Caleb further into his chest in a tight hug. A blood covered hand gently cradled the back of his head, while the other anchored around his waist. Despite burying his face in Caleb's neck, the intense shaking of his body from sobbing could be seen from a distance. In an attempt to comfort him, Caleb wormed an arm out from between them to wrap securely around Fjord's neck instead.

By the time Fjord finally pulled away, his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying. He dropped his forehead against Caleb's like he didn't have the strength to hold it up any longer, then leaned into the hand that came to rest against the side of his face. Even though she expected a kiss or a heartfelt confession at the very least, they simply took a few minutes to breath together, then Fjord helped Caleb to his feet and let Caleb lean against him for support as the others began to fuss over him. With attention on Caleb, Beau took the chance to shoot Fjord a look that caused him to blush and give a look that spoke of a private conversation to come later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	110. Prompt 110 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: HAHA! A WILD PROMPTER ROLLED HIGH ON THEIR INVITATIVE! Caleb has called Jester a blueberry a few times. Que Fjord pouting a bit because he usually just calls Fjord, Fjord. It's fine, totally vine, until Veth notices and starts trying to get Caleb to call Fjord a lime because he's "always in a sour mood" and Caleb begins calling him a green apple, a little sour, but still very very sweet.

“Caleb, I'm telling you, you should call him a lime! It's perfect.” Veth dropped down next to him from where she had been previously hiding in the rigging. “He's always in a sour mood. See, perfect.”

“That is not true. He's only in a sour mood when you poke him.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You know exactly what I am talking about, but I would be happy to remind you if you would like.”

“Fine, he's not always sour, but he's still a lime. It would be the perfect nickname for him.”

The heels of his boots clicked together as he came to an abrupt stop with his body turned to give Veth his full attention. “That is what I do not understand. Why are you suddenly insisting that Fjord needs a nickname? If you want to give him one, then you are more than welcome to.”

“You call me nicknames and you have one for Jester. I just thought you might need some help coming up with some for the rest of the group and Fjord is the easiest one. But it's fine if you don't want my help.”

“Veth, liebling, you are a terrible liar.”

“What is Veth lying about?” A hand pressed gently into the small of his back for a brief moment on Fjord's way to lean against the mast. “Do I need to throw her overboard?”

“This is exactly what I'm talking about.”

“Oh, so you're talking shit about me. That's definitely reason to throw you overboard.”

“Are you going to get Yasha to do it for you? Because we all know you're not strong enough to do it yourself.”

With a sigh, Caleb placed a hand on Fjord's chest to prevent whatever quip he planned to fire back. “I think that's enough. Nobody is talking shit and nobody is getting thrown overboard.”

“Fine, I'll go talk to Beau. She'll talk shit with me.”

He rolled his eyes at Veth's back as she shoved at Fjord to make her way up the mast to the crow's nest. Despite the fact she wouldn't see it, Fjord flicked the bird at her before turning all his attention to Caleb. While he knew Fjord wouldn't press, Caleb could see the curiosity in his eyes.

“She thinks you are in need of a nickname from me."

“Ah, what was her suggestion? Something about me being a dick?”

“Of course not. She suggested lime because you are always in a sour mood.” It was impossible for Caleb to fight back a smile at Fjord's obvious annoyance at the nickname. “I know she likes to push your buttons, but it does come from a place of caring.”

“Does that mean you'll be calling me lime?”

“That would be ridiculous. You are not always in a sour mood. Green apple would be much more fitting. A little sour, but very sweet and much more pleasant than a lime.”

A light blush slowly grew on Fjord's cheeks as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “I don't need a nickname.”

“If you say so. I do need to take over for Orly, so he can get some sleep. Try not to let Veth get to you.”

“I won't.”

“Good. I will see you later, green apple.”

“Cay, please don't.”

“I can't hear you.” Caleb gestured at the calm water surrounding them. “The waves are so loud.”

“Now who's the liar?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	111. Prompt 111 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: EXTRA ATTACK PROMPT!: After figuring out more dunamancy Caleb figures out how to view the past and the Mighty Nein gather around to figure out what exactly Fjord was promised to make his pact with Ukatoa aside from just living....turns out it was living, and getting to meet a particular wizard that the half-orc couldn't help but admit he was very very attracted to.... Fjord nearly released an eldritch horror, because he has a thing for red heads. Let the teasing commence.

As soon as the spell ended, Fjord expected to find all eyes on him and he got exactly that when his senses came back to him. He quickly flicked his eyes over all of them to gauge their reactions with the exception of Caleb. There was nothing he wanted more than to avoid those beautiful blue eyes that would be able to look right into his soul. Instead, he saw the hopeless romantic mixed with relentless trickster written all over Jester's face, Beau wore a smirk that spoke of teasing for weeks to come, an understanding humor filled Yasha's eyes, Veth seemed torn between leaping across the table at him and wanting to viciously mock him. Even Caduceus looked mildly amused, but the smile he gave him mostly felt kind and not at slight at Fjord's expense.

“So,” Beau kicked her feet casually onto the table and leaned back in her chair. “what are we going to talk about first? The fact Fjord has a thing for redheads that we need to keep an eye on or that meeting Caleb was just as important to him as living? When you switched over to Melora, did she include something about Caleb in that deal?”

“You're the worst first mate.”

“Was Sabian a redhead?”

“Fuck off.”

“I'm going to take that as a yes. You could have told us you had a type. We wouldn't have judged you.”

“Really? What do you call this?”

Before Beau could respond, Jester slammed her hands on the table to lean across it. “It's kind of romantic. You didn't even know Caleb. Uk'otoa just showed you how amazing he was, and you just immediately fell in love.”

“I did not fall in love. I didn't even know him.”

“But you wanted to meet him because you thought he was pretty and smart and powerful.”

“So?”

“You wanted to fall in love with him!”

“That-”

“I think it is very nice.” The calm of Caduceus's voice contrasted greatly to the eager excitement of Jester's. “He could have bargained for the power to seek revenge or make others suffer the way he did. Instead, he asked for a new life with someone that intrigued him. That's very nice.”

Yasha's soft smile grew a little wider as her eyes flicked Caleb's direction. “It's a noble bargain. The promise of love can be much stronger than revenge. A reason to live when it feels pointless. Romantic or otherwise.”

“That's great and all,” The bang of Beau's chair hitting the ground demanded everyone's attention. “but should we be worried about Uk'otoa using that against him? It's not like Avantika wouldn't be thrilled to carry an order out against Caleb. He did get her killed.”

“You got her killed.”

“She knows you were the one that had her journal and figured it out. You also stopped her from killing us and getting away. I'd want to kill you if my freaky snake god brought me back from the dead and told me it would make my ex-lover miserable. It's a win-win.”

“Thank you, Beauregard. That is very comforting.”

“I'm just saying it might be something to consider now that we know Fjord made a deal for you.”

“He did not make a deal for me.”

“You and his life. In that order.”

With a groan, Fjord let his head drop right onto the table causing his head to throb in pain. “If I cursed out the Stormlord, do you think he would send a lightning monster to kill me?”

“Are you wanting to redo your pact with Melora because it didn't include Caleb?”

“Oh, he doesn't have to worry about that.” A large hand gave him a comforting pat on the back. “Melora already knows and is doing what she can to help.”

“Please, kill me now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	112. Prompt 112 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Widofjord promt: Fjord expects how most of the Nein react when they tell them about their relationship. Threats from Veth, ribbing from Beau, a smile and nod from Yasha, Jester talking non-stop about how cute they are....what he was not expecting was for Caduceus buying a book on sexual education and forcing the two of them to sit down and have a read of the book with him over tea to make sure they are making good decisions, and using the best protection they can.

Caleb watched with growing amusement as Fjord's blush darkened with every sentence that Caduceus calmly spoke. The book open on the table for all of them to view included surprisingly detailed pictures to accompany the text. It wouldn't be long before Jester got her hands on it to add realistic color to the black and white drawings. The thought of variously colored dicks coming to life on the page almost caused him to miss the choked off sound of Fjord's soul attempting to leave his body.

While he found Fjord's embarrassment amusing, Caleb decided it time to take pity on his partner's polite attempt to make it through an entirely unnecessary conversation. When Caduceus made to turn the page, he cleared his throat to distract him from doing so. Caleb gave Caduceus a smile as he set his tea on the table and gently took the hand off Fjord's thigh before his nails broke skin.

“This is very kind of you, Caduceus. We appreciate the concern and thoughtfulness in regard to our well-being. However, this isn't necessary.”

“Safe sex is important.”

“I agree.” He placed his other hand over their intertwined fingers, then let his thumb rub gently across Fjord's skin. “My parents felt the same when they first taught me all of this. I would suggest any that have an interest in it learn how to do so safely. My interest in it is minimal at best. Fjord and I have already discussed what that means for our relationship. He has been very kind and understanding in regard to my lack of interest.”

“Boundaries are good. It's fantastic that you already established yours.”

“I know it can be a deal-breaker for some, so I felt it prudent to have the conversation earlier rather than later.”

Caduceus nodded in understanding as he leaned forward to shut the book, causing Fjord to finally relax. “Well, I guess I'll put this away for now. I'm sure it will come in handy later. Romance has been in the air around the house recently.”

“It does seem that way. I would suggest keeping it somewhere boring or Jester might use it as a coloring book.”

“It could use some color.”

“If you asked, I'm sure she would be happy to add color to it for you.”

“I think I'll do that.” After placing everything on the tray, Caduceus tucked the book under his arm and lifted it. “Have a wonderful rest of your evening. I'll see you both in the morning.”

“Good night, Caduceus.”

Once the door clicked shut behind him, Caleb turned to face Fjord-who still looked a few shades darker than normal in the cheeks. A soft chuckle rumbled through Caleb's chest as he leaned up to press a kiss to one cheek, then the other. Fjord squeezed his hand so tight it bordered on painful when Caleb pulled away to look him in the eye.

“Thank you for saying something.”

“Well, I was beginning to think this relationship would end before we had much of a chance to see where it went.”

“It might have.”

“I'm glad it didn't. I am very much looking forward to where this goes.”

A gentle hand brushed a strand of hair out of Caleb's face, then Fjord leaned down to press a quick kiss to his forehead. “I am, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	113. Prompt 113 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The wildmother speaks to Fjord and Cad in a dream asking them to find "the pebble". Neither one of them is sure what to do about that after all what even is a pebble just a smaller rock right? It's not until Fjord and Caleb have a date night in Nicodranas that Fjord figures out what the wildmother meant when Caleb points out on of the waiters looks nearly identical to Fjord, just a bit younger. A smaller Stone.

After taking a sip of the fine wine Fjord insisted on ordering to celebrate their anniversary, his eyes wandered to take in the gorgeous restaurant. The soft glow of the magical light floating around the space caused the crystal chandeliers to sparkle and made the golden color palette appear warm and inviting. The few pops of reds and blues accenting the mostly golden tones drew his eye from one to the next. As his eyes flicked to the next pop of color, he found himself staring at a face he hadn't been expecting to.

Immediately, he looked across the table at Fjord, then right back at a nearly identical face behind the bar. Their jaw looked a bit rounder, the eyes were a slightly different shade and the nose upturned. If it weren't for the slight differences, Caleb might have assumed it was someone using Fjord's face or an identical twin. As it were, the only word that came to mind at the obvious resemblance was sibling. Five or so years younger, but undoubtedly related in some way.

“Should I be jealous?”

“Did you ever have a sibling with you at the orphanage?”

“Uh, no. Why do you ask?” To clear the confusion, Caleb pointed at the half-orc behind the bar. “That's... uncanny.”

“Ja, it is. Who suggested we come here?”

“Jester. She said she came here a few times with her mom, and they had some authentic Zemnian dishes you might enjoy.”

“I don't suppose this is a prank.”

“I think they would be our waiter if it was.”

Caleb hummed thoughtfully into his wine glass, then set it down and forced his eyes away from the curious stranger. “That is a mystery for after our anniversary.”

“I agree.”

Despite his words, Fjord's eyes continued to periodically flick over to the bar, but Caleb made no comment on it. Instead, he focused on searching through the menu for a dish to order for dinner for himself and Fjord. A sudden gasp distracted him from doing so as he quickly lifted his head to check on his partner.

“A pebble.”

“Excuse me?”

“Melora told Caduceus and I to find the pebble. We had no idea what she was talking about. A pebble is just a smaller stone. Stone.” Fjord pointed at himself, then pointed at the stranger. “Pebble.”

“What did she tell you to do when you found the pebble?”

“Nothing. She just said to find it.”

“Do you want to go talk to them?”

“Uh, maybe? I should, right?”

He reached across the table to hold the hand beginning to nervously pick at the edges of his menu. “How about we have dinner? A nice, relaxing dinner, then you can decide what you want to do.”

“Yeah, I think that would be best. I can't believe she referred to them as a pebble.”

“It is a little funny. A stone and a pebble. Think a rock is next on the list?”

“Love, please stop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	114. Prompt 114 - Widofjord (Past Widowulf)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hear me out: widofjord life debt AU It’s about the stubbornness of the debt payer,,,,,,,, the rampant anxiety and confusion of the debt payed person,,,,,,, it’s about forcing them into situations together while their friends laugh at them,,,,,,, it’s also absolutely about the pining,,,,,,,

It took all of his self-restraint not to tug nervously at his sleeves of his coat when Eodwulf took a seat at their table. He looked as handsome as Caleb remembered in his perfectly tailored formal wear with his hair cropped short and a perfectly trimmed beard. Just peeking out from his cuffs were dark tattoos that he knew trailed much further up both of his arms.

“Bren, you look good.”

“So, do you, Wulf. I did not realize you would be joining us tonight.”

“It was a last-minute decision.”

When his nerves threatened to get the best of him, the increasingly familiar sensation of Fjord's arm settling across his shoulders helped calm him. “What a pleasant surprise. We did not get much of a chance to catch up the last time we had dinner together.”

At the mention of the last time they saw each other, Fjord's posture adjusted to almost tuck Caleb protectively against his side. After a moment of hesitation, Caleb placed a hand on Fjord's thigh to give it what he hoped to be a comforting squeeze. While he didn't pull away, the arm around his shoulders became more relaxed and he leaned back in his chair. With Fjord no longer on edge, Caleb allowed himself to loosen his stiff spine and take a sip of the spicy wine in his glass.

The others quickly took the lead on keeping conversation flowing, which allowed Caleb to sit back and simply observe. Gradually, the wine led to a fuzzy buzz that settled some of the anxiety from Eodwulf's unexpected arrival. Fjord remained a steady presence at his side the entire time-even shifting to better suit Caleb when he nervously shuffled in his seat.

“If you want to leave, we can.” The low timbre of Fjord's voice whispered in his ear almost sent a shiver down his spine. “All you have to do is say the word.”

“That's not necessary. You have already done more than enough for one evening.”

“Not nearly.”

“Fjord-”

“We've discussed this, Caleb.”

Caleb huffed under his breath at the interruption but knew chastising him would be pointless considering he so rarely cut Caleb off. “I still think it's a little ridiculous. We've both saved each other's lives at this point. You don't owe me anything.”

“It's not about the number of times. It's about the fact you did it when we barely knew each other.”

“You did that for me first.”

“It's not the same.”

“So, you always say.” While he wanted nothing more than to rub his temple to ward away the impending headache, he decided dropping the topic would draw less curious glances. “You still have done more than enough for this evening. It's one party. I will be fine.”

“Which includes dinner with your ex-boyfriend.”

“Thank you for the reminder. For a moment, I could pretend to forget.”

Fjord chuckled under his breath at Caleb's exaggerated eye roll and quick emptying of his wine glass. “Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I think you're making it very difficult for him to keep his eyes off you. He's probably kicking himself for missing his chance.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You look stunning tonight.”

“I find that hard to believe.” His eyes flicked down to watch his fingers pick nervously at the lace tablecloth, but a gentle hand on his chin lifted his head up to meet Fjord's gaze again.

“Caleb, you are the most gorgeous person I have ever met. You look absolutely stunning. I know you don't notice, but people can't keep their eyes off of you.”

“I would prefer if they did.”

“I know. Just, don't go far and you won't have to worry about it.”

“Why is that?”

A quick kiss pressed against his forehead had him instinctively gripping Fjord's thigh tighter than he intended. “If they want anything more than a passing glance, they'll have to go through me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	115. Prompt 115 - Empire Siblings (Past Blumentrio)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A bit of a combination prompt: “I’m going to ask you something and you have to answer me honestly.” and “Hey, hey, it’s alright, you’re safe now, they won’t hurt you anymore.” Namely, the Empire Sibs have a conversation where their usual ribbing just won't cut it.

The light crunch of boots against the loose stones path drew Caleb's attention away from the well-kept flowers to the monk standing next to him. Though the grey suit looked excellent on her, it was obvious that she wanted nothing more than to change into something she deemed more comfortable. After glancing over her shoulder at the large double doorings leading to the ballroom where most of the party remained, she crossed her arms and gave him a serious look. While he was tempted to avert his gaze, he stood perfectly still under her scrutiny.

“I’m going to ask you something and you have to answer me honestly.” She waited for him to nod in agreement before pressing on. “Was Astrid the only one?”

“No.”

“Both of them?”

“Ja, we were... I don't know. Sometimes, I wonder if it was because it was just the three of us and Trent. It was lonely before them. Friendship was nice, but it was still lonely. It felt less lonely with them.”

“Did you love them?”

“I want to believe I did. At the very least, it felt like I did in the moment. If I didn't, it wouldn't hurt so much, right? It wouldn't feel like I'm drowning when I see them? Like, they betrayed me when they let Trent send me to the Sanatorium. When they didn't believe me. It wouldn't feel like my heart is breaking. I want them to be free of him, but I-it hurts so much to see them. I'm suffocating and I don't know what to do to stop it.”

“Caleb, hey, hey, it’s alright,” Arms wrapped around his shoulders to pull him into a hug that he melted into. “you’re safe now, they won’t hurt you anymore. I know it feels like they are, but there's nothing they can do to you. We won't let them. We'll be here every step of the way. If you need us, you can lean on us. We're going to keep you above water. Got that?”

“Ja, but you know, first love is a bitch, especially when it is a two for one.”

“Yeah, you don't do anything by halves do you.”

“Can you blame me?”

Beau snorted in amusement as she pulled away but left one arm across his shoulders to guide him back into the ballroom. “Astrid is pretty hot, and I guess Eodwulf is attractive if you're into that.”

“He has nice arms. Very strong.”

“Why am I not surprised that's what attracted you to him?”

“That is not the only thing. He is stoic, but he was a good listener and a supportive partner. He took care of me when I could not. He was good to me. It was nice.”

“You know, if you ever want to talk about it, just to get it out of your system or whatever, you can talk to me.”

“Thank you, Beauregard.” Before they passed through the doors, he paused to give her a hug that she immediately reciprocated. “I think I will take you up on that later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	116. Prompt 116 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire Siblings and “Dying is a lot more painful than I thought it would be.”

When the magical barriers split their party, the intense gnawing sensation that something would soon go horrific wrong sat heavy in her gut. Monstrous creatures suddenly appearing in the small spaces they were forced into had her frantically glancing at the others whenever she got the chance. Most of her attention went to keeping herself between Caleb and the creatures, but one turning into three made it impossible for her to do so. The one that slipped past her charged Caleb with a piercing cry as it slammed into him.

Blood spurted from his abdomen when its claw easily sliced through him, like he was nothing more than a thin sheet of paper. Her desperate attempt to get to it before it did more damage to him fell short when the others moved to block her path. By the time she dealt with them, so much blood pooled around him she nearly slipped in it when she reached them. It only took a few punches to end its life, but the damage had already been done.

Her hands hovered useless over his exposed abdomen because there was no way she could stem that much bleeding. A chuckle from above her distracted her from the uncertainty over how she could possibly help him. She ignored the warm blood soaking through her pants as she crawled up to Caleb's head to pillow it on her legs.

“What the fuck are you laughing about?”

“Dying is a lot more painful than I thought it would be.” Another chuckle caused the blood spilling from his abdomen to gush out from the movement. “I probably should have known. I guess I hoped it would be quick.”

“Shut up. You're not dying on me. You're not allowed to.”

“That's not fair, Beauregard.”

“And?”

“Is your goal in life to make mine as difficult as possible?”

“If it keeps you here, then yes. I'll make your life a living hell.”

“That would be impossible. I've lived through that, and you would never do that to me.”

Despite her best attempt to stop it, a harsh sob tore through Beau's throat. “Caleb, don't you fucking dare die on me. Please, I need my partner. I need you here.”

“That's not true. I always needed you more than you needed me.”

“For someone so smart, you're a fucking idiot. I do need you as much as you need me. The Empire kids, right? How am I supposed to fix things on my own?”

“You won't be. They'll be there.”

“It's not the same. You know it's not.”

“Beauregard, I'm sorry.” Blood stained his lips as a violent, wet cough caused his chest to stutter, then come to an abrupt halt. 

“Caleb? Caleb, please. Don't go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	117. Prompt 117 - Beauyaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Hey, hey, it’s alright, you’re safe now, they won’t hurt you anymore.” Beauyashter?

A sudden jerk against Jester's side pulled her suddenly out of sleep. The moonlight streaming in from high in the sky told her it wasn't anywhere near time to wake up, which caused a moment of confusion. Another jerk caused a brief pain in her side from an elbow slamming just beneath the ribs hard enough she could feel a bruise forming. To avoid more pain, Jester quickly rolled onto Beau's side of the bed causing both of them to go tumbling over the edge. Luckily, Beau moved quickly enough to cushion her head from striking against the floor on the way down.

“Jessie? What's wrong?”

“I don't-” The slam of the headboard against the wall cut off the rest of her sentence, then she quickly poked her head over the edge of the bed to see Yasha flailing in her sleep. “Yasha?”

“Careful.”

Despite wanting nothing more than to crawl back on the bed to wrap Yasha up in a hug, Jester waited impatiently in Beau's lap for the flailing to slowly come to an end. Her fingers tugged nervously at the ends of her hair as she slowly rose to her feet to kneel on the edge of the bed. Mismatched eyes popped open to look at her with a blank fear that she hadn't seen since the Chantry of the Dawn in Rexxentrum.

“Yasha?” After a slow blink to comprehend her words, a look of confusion crinkled up her face and her fingers dug into the crumpled up sheets. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, you’re safe now, they won’t hurt you anymore. We made sure of that, Yasha. You're safe with us.”

“Sorry for waking you.”

“Don't be silly. There's no reason to apologize. I'm just glad you weren't getting stolen in the night or something crazy like that.”

“Did I...”

Jester smiled brightly as she crawled back into bed to snuggle against Yasha's side, then reached out to tug Beau over to them. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I-No. Not tonight.”

“How about we go back to sleep?”

“Are you sure? I could go sleep somewhere else.”

“Why would you do that? Do you want to be in the middle? Beau is super warm tonight. I wouldn't blame you!” When Yasha's eyes flicked over to the door, Jester sat back with her hands loosely holding one of Yasha's. “You can go if you want to, but you don't have to. We always want you here.”

“You'll give up the middle for me?”

“Just this once!”

“Okay, then. Thank you.”

“Of course, I love you!”

“I-I love you, too.”

With a bright smile, Jester shuffled across Yasha's lap to take her side of the bed, then slid down and pulled the covers up to her chin. After a moment of hesitation, Yasha moved over to give her more room before stiffly lying down. Once she was settled, Jester rolled onto her side to tangle their legs and placed a comforting hand on her abdomen. A gentle brush of fingertips against hers as Beau did the same on her other side.

“I love you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	118. Prompt 118 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I’m going to ask you something and you have to answer me honestly.” Dealer's Choice?

“I'm going to ask you something and you have to answer me honestly.” The surprise of Fjord suddenly appearing next to him on the balcony almost caused him to drop his glass over the railing. “Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”

“No, it is fine. I was just... What did you want to ask?”

A hand landed on his elbow as Fjord took a step closer to him forcing Caleb to look up to meet his eye. “Are you sure you're okay? You've spent half the night standing like a soldier at attention and the other half out here drinking by yourself.”

“Is that what you came out here to ask me?”

“In a way.”

“I...” He let out a heavy sigh and looked slightly higher than necessary, so he wouldn't have to look Fjord in the eye. “I would not say I thought this evening would be pleasant. This is easier than trying to handle that.”

“Handle what? Talking to them?”

After a moment of hesitation, Caleb tossed back the rest of his drink to keep up the buzz he'd been working on for the better part of an hour. He set the glass carefully on the railing to prevent himself from accidentally crushing it, then turned all his attention fully on Fjord. The concern in Fjord's eyes grew the longer Caleb took to find the right words to get him to understand.

“You know, Trent is not very good at this. Most people find him... distasteful, but it is important to have eyes at events like this. People let slip things they don't mean to when alcohol and dancing is involved. Secrets let slip when they think no one else is paying attention. You just have to know where to look and put yourself in the right spot.”

“You think they're doing that?”

Caleb shrugged his shoulder in uncertainty. “Most likely, but I am not particularly considered about that. It is difficult not to fall into old habits is all.”

“Would a distraction help?”

“A distraction?”

“Yeah, you know,” An arm wrapped around his waist to pull him into Fjord's firm chest, so they were pressed together. “something to take your mind off everything else.”

“What would you suggest as an appropriate distraction?”

“I was thinking I could ask you for a dance, then you would be so distracted by me that you wouldn't need to worry about falling into old habits.”

“That is putting a lot of work on your shoulders.”

“Haven't I proven to be capable of handling plenty of work?”

Despite attempting to fight it back, Caleb couldn't resist scrunching up his face in distaste at Fjord's words. "Is that supposed to be flirting?”

“Not working?”

“You are doing this on purpose.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You know exactly what I am talking about.” With a little sigh, Caleb brushed his hand along Fjord's check, then let it settle on his jaw. “Thank you. You should be enjoying the party. Instead, you're stuck out here babysitting me.”

“There's nothing to enjoy if you're not there.”

“You are a sap.”

“Dance with me, darling?”

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	119. Prompt 119 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: can i request a combo of 59 ("You can put your cold feet on me.") +66 ("Your lips are really warm.") from the prompts for widofjord please, i love the concept that half-orcs are always warm while humans are much more fragile it’s such a cosy one!

Caleb wrapped the heavy blanket tighter around his shoulders to protect himself from the slight breeze blowing the cold winter air right through him. He'd long ago given up on letting a foot dangle off the edge to slowly push the swinging bench. Instead, he brought his knees as close to his chest as possible, so he could trap in the heat as much as possible.

A stream of warm light from a door opening momentarily flooded the porch for a brief moment, then the door clicked shut. “This is where you snuck off to. What are you doing out here? It's freezing.”

“The fresh air is nice.”

“Does your nose agree with you on that?” Warm lips captured his in a kiss that almost made him willing to reach his hand up to curl into Fjord's hair. “It looks ready to fall off.”

“Your lips are really warm.”

“And yours are freezing. You should go inside.”

“Just a little longer. You can keep me warm if you're that worried.”

“Oh, will you allow me to keep you warm?”

With a shy smile, Caleb exposed his hand to the bitter cold to pull Fjord down by the front of his shirt. “If you want, I'll allow it.”

The bench swung dangerously backwards to the point they almost tipped off it, but Fjord managed to keep them both pinned to it on the swing back down. Caleb rolled his eyes at the smirk on Fjord's face as he adjusted his weight to avoid crushing Caleb beneath him. Luckily, the warmth from Fjord's body wrapping around him made up for him nearly dumping them on the floor.

“I don't think this is the intended use for this.”

“It's not not working. I certainly don't have a problem with this. Do you?”

“My feet are a little cold now.”

“You can put your cold feet on me.”

After raising a brow, Caleb slowly slid his feet up Fjord's pant legs to tuck them safely away from the cold. “How are you so warm?”

“Half-orcs run warmer than humans do. It also doesn't help that your magic seems to suck the heat right out of you.”

“That is a lie.”

“Only a little. I am the one that wakes up to your cold hands and your cold nose and your cold feet shoved onto my person.”

“I have not. Have I?”

“A few times, not that often. Mostly it's after you've overexerted yourself.”

“I'll bundle up better before I go to bed.”

“That wasn't a complaint.” Fjord pressed a kiss to his forehead, then rested them together. “It's nice to have the reminder that you're still there.”

“But you need your sleep.”

“I get plenty of sleep, you don't need to worry about me. Just don't intentionally freeze yourself by coming out in the cold for an hour to get my attention. There are easier ways.”

“I was not trying to get your attention. I already know I don't need to do anything to have that.”

“Wow, someone is feeling confident today.”

“It is less confidence and more me noticing you watching me.”

“Can you blame me? You're beautiful.”

“You're warm.”

Fjord huffed out a laugh. “Thank you for the compliment. Now, as wonderful as this is, it's time to get you inside. I'll make you a warm drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	120. Prompt 120 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A continuation of your "Beau and Caleb get captured by a anti-human group somewhere in Xhorhas" ficlet, where said group faces the most severe punishment for what they did? Also, a resurrection ritual.

It felt like she was watching from a distance as the Bright Queen stood before the group forced to their knees before her. Most of them were still bloody from the raid on their base of operation that ended with all of them captured. It might have felt like a relief to finally be rescued if it weren't for the dead body hidden beneath a sheet just a few feet away from her.

As the Bright Queen spoke, all Beau could do was watch her lips move and lean into the solid body keeping her upright. The longer she spoke, the more her vision seemed to tunnel to only focus on the Bright Queen and her captors. It wasn't until the Bright Queen waved in the direction of the covered body that her vision finally moved to a woman she didn't recognize. She watched her remove the sheet from Caleb's long cold body, then place a large diamond on the center of his chest.

Her hand beckoned them to join her, but her feet felt like lead blocks stuck to the polished floor. It took a firm arm around her waist forcing her to put one foot in front of the other to join the others at his side. A hand wrapped around her wrist to place it atop the stiff hands folded on Caleb's abdomen. The hint of scars poking out from beneath the cuff of the formal shirt someone changed him into had her wrapping her fingers tightly around his wrist.

All her focus narrowed onto the singular point of connection between the two that felt completely wrong. There wasn't the familiar warmth of magic thrumming beneath his skin or the steady thud of his pulse beating against her fingers. Instead, he was cold and completely devoid of any signs of life. The hand on her back pressed a little firmer, then wrapped around her waist to keep her standing.

The first burst of life beneath her fingers released the pressure constricting her chest to the point she could barely breathe. His muscles flexing as his hand moved for the first time in days was almost enough to make her release her hold on him, but her fingers refused to cooperate. Her eyes meet familiar blue that blinked at her in confusion for a moment, then Caleb slowly struggled into a sitting position. She released his wrist to wrap her arms around shoulders and pulled him into her chest.

“What happened?”

“You died, you fucking asshole.”

“Sorry.” A shaky arm wrapped around her shoulders to pull them closer together. “Didn't mean to.”

“Shut up. You're alive.”

“Are they-”

“The Bright Queen is handling it. You're safe.”

“What about you? Are you okay?”

Beau dropped her forehead against Caleb's and let out a heavy sigh. “I'm fine. We're both fine now, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	121. Prompt 121 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Oh my gods I love the idea of Caleb being Fjord's patron. I wonder how the rest of the nein would react... even better Trent. "Oh hey that student you fucked up? Yeah he's so strong now he's a mother fucking warlock patron. Are you strong enough to be a patron? No? Shocking."

“It is a shame it had to come to this, but it was inevitable.” Trent took a step down from the dais with his hands clasped in front of him. “Unfortunately, your gods and patrons can't reach you here. They aren't able to come here. No aid. No magic from them.”

“I'm here for my patron. I promised them always. I meant it then, I mean it now, and I'll still stand by my promise in the future.” The crackling shadows of flame dancing along Trent's legs moved up in body to completely wrap around him. “If you want to get to him, you have to go through me.”

The Star Razor burst to life in Fjord's hands as he stepped forward to block Trent's line of sight with Caleb. It didn't matter that Caleb was more than capable of ending the pathetic excuse for a wizard standing before them. Trent wouldn't have the chance to so much as blink at Caleb if he had anything to say about it. He wasn't worth Caleb's time. Wasn't worth his incredible magic. Wasn't even worth lifting a finger.

Despite his air of superiority, Trent could do nothing to hide his surprise when the pieces clicked into place. The realization that his supposed protege rose above him in every foreseeable way meant everything was for nothing. Proof of that would be the reason for his downfall. There would be no escaping it.

“Is that so? What exactly do you-”

Before he could finish the question, Fjord cut the distance between to take two swings that landed heavily right in the side. As soon as Trent's hand lifted to cast a spell, Fjord flicked out his hand to counter it. He pulled his hand back like it had been burnt, giving Fjord the opportunity to slice through his chest. The second across the abdomen had him stumbling back with an arm wrapped around his middle.

His sallow complexion paled from the blood loss and he struggled to lift a shaking hand in Fjord's direction. While a wide swing with his sword missed, it caused Trent to trip on the step behind him and land on his butt. Fjord brought his boot down to hard to crush his fingers as he stood over him with the Star Razor poised to drive down into his cold heart.

“What are you waiting for?”

Intense heat licked up his sword as blue flame ignited along the cool metal of the blade. “For that.”

The Star Razor easily plunged through his skin in muscle to pierce through his beating heat in one swift motion. Flame immediately began spreading from where the sword sat in Trent's chest. The scent of burning flesh filled the air as Trent screamed in pain and tried desperately to get away. With no fear of the flames harming him, Fjord remained in place until the body below him stopped moving.

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze that pulled his eyes away from the burning body to a familiar blue. “Fjord, you can stop now.”

His eyes stayed locked with Caleb as he removed the sword from Trent's chest and stepped away from the burning body. After sheathing the sword, Fjord dropped a hand to Caleb's waist when he noticed his eyes drawn to the corpse. All it took was a light pressure to his hip to draw his gaze back up to Fjord.

“We can go now.”

“We need to make sure.”

“I know.” Fjord brought his other hand up to keep Caleb's face tilted up. “The others will do it. You trust them, right?”

“Ja, I do.”

“Then let them take care of it.”

Caleb's cheek brushed against his hand as he nodded in agreement. “Okay. And, Fjord?”

“Yeah, Cay?”

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	122. Prompt 122 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Could I request Caleb as a secret merman and Fjord finding out as a prompt?

All he could do was watch in horror as the creature lifted Caleb off the deck of the ship by his throat. It shook him like he was nothing more than a ragdoll in its large grasp, then suddenly released him. His body flew over the side of the ship to the violent, churning water that started as soon as these creatures appeared. Fear sent his heart plummeting into his stomach as he moved as fast as he could to the side he went over.

Without stopping to overthink it, Fjord launched himself over the edge into a dive straight into the water. As soon as he entered the water, his eyes searched for any sign of Caleb lost among the wild currents. Before he could notice even a hint of him, Fjord felt a sudden pull on his leg that dragged him further down in the water. He tried to struggle out of the hold, but it remained tight around his ankle.

When he made to swing his sword down at what he thought to be another creature, he quickly diverted the path to avoid hitting Caleb. Scales the orange of a sunset were curling around the side of his face, down his neck and disappeared below his collar. The hand around his ankles was webbed with sharp claws on the end that could have easily torn through his skin. What stood out the most were the completely electric blue eyes with white vertical-slit pupils like a cat.

His mouth opened to reveal razor sharp teeth when he began to speak. “What are you doing?”

“I-” Fjord blinked his eyes in confusion, then shook his head to get his thoughts flowing again. “I thought I was saving you, but I'm starting to feel like an idiot for thinking you need help. You're a... Are you okay?”

Before Caleb could answer the question, Fjord pushed down to come face-to-face with him and gently cupped his neck. While it was difficult to see with the scales covering his skin, hints of dark bruising from being picked up by the throat. His finger gently brushed over the area, but only felt the scales covering it.

“I'm fine, Fjord.” Despite expecting the hand wrapped around his wrist to pull his away, it simply clung to him. “We should get back to the ship to help the others.”

“Right, that's probably a good idea.”

“I promise I'll explain later.”

“What? Explain what? You're a mermaid. You don't need to explain anything else.”

A heavy pause of silence fell between them for a long moment. “You don't want to know about this?”

“If you want to tell me about it, I would love to hear it, but you don't owe me anything else.”

“Don't sailors have stories about mermaids?” Caleb's eyes narrowed and he moved their faces within inches of each other. “You're not curious?”

“It'd be pretty hard to drown me when I can breathe underwater.”

An unexpected huff of laughter slipped from Caleb. “We'll talk later. Hold tight to me. It would be a shame if you got lost in the current.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	123. Prompt 123 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In addition to the ‘Caleb is Fjord’s patron’, after a while, certain spells (his Warlock spells) start feeling different. He’d thought the warmth had come from Melora at first - but when comparing the feel of Her grace and the Paladin spells- it feels different. It feels warm and crispy? With the smell of fire, compared to Melora’s earthy smell.

The sounds of fighting came to an end as Fjord sent a final eldritch blast spiraling through the air that slammed into the side of the creature. It let out a final screech before collapsing in a heap of unmoving flesh. A serrated lollipop gave it a final wallop for good measure, which made a disgusting squelching sound that echoed off the cavern walls.

While the other began patching wounds and poking at the creature, Fjord caught Caleb around the waist before his legs could give out on him. The usual post-battle exhaustion showed plainly in his eyes and the uncoordinated pat he gave Fjord's chest in thanks. He leaned heavily into Fjord in lieu of his typical dropping to the ground to take a quick nap.

“You know, I'm starting to wonder how we didn't figure out the patron thing earlier.” Caleb gave a hum of acknowledgement as he readjusted his head on Fjord's shoulder and let his eyes slide shut. “The spells feel different.”

“How so?”

“They're both warm, but the ones from you are like... a campfire or a fire in a hearth. Melora is more like the sun. They feel more like you, if that makes sense.”

Sleepy blue eyes blinked open to look at him with a curious spark in them. “Really?”

Rather than repeat himself, Fjord fired off an eldritch blast that hit harmlessly against the side of the cavern far away from everyone else. Unlike the sickly green energy from Uk'otoa that burst from his hand, this one looked a dark amber tinged black around the edges. The residue of the spell left his hand glowing, like fading embers, for a brief moment. Fingers pressed curiously against his palm as the warm dispersed and Caleb gave another thoughtful hum.

Using the press of Caleb's fingers, Fjord sent a rush of healing magic through them to heal any wounds he might have. This time the momentary glow shone a green-yellow and reminded him of the sun warming his skin on a pleasant spring day. Caleb's hand pressed flat against his for a fleeting moment, then began to pull away. Before he could get far, Fjord intertwined their fingers and used minor illusion, so Caleb was completely surrounded by the fiery warmth of his own power.

“See what I mean?” His voice came out a low, rumbling whisper as he locked eyes with Caleb. “It feels like you.”

“That's...”

“Amazing? I think that's the word you're looking for. It's definitely the word I would use. You're amazing.”

“I don't know if I would go that far. It's not like we planned this. It was all a complete accident.”

“That doesn't make it any less amazing, Cay. You're the most incredible person I've ever met.”

The fingers threaded through his gave a firm squeeze as Caleb let his eyes fall shut once again. “Thank you, Fjord.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	124. Prompt 124 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord's realisation that he loves Caleb and their first kiss. writer's choice on how it happens! ps. I love your work so much💕

It was like two pieces finally slotting into place as Fjord watched Caleb laugh at something Yasha said to him with a soft smile on her face. The strands of his hair perfectly framing the sides of his face and the glimmer in his eyes drew Fjord's attention like a moth to flame. Even across the crowded ballroom, there wasn't a single person shining brighter. How Fjord never noticed the warmth in his chest from just seeing Caleb happy before, he didn't know. Now, it took every ounce of self-control not to cross the room and beg for a chance to speak with him alone.

Blue eyes suddenly finding his nearly stole what little breath remained in his chest, especially when he sent a smile just for Fjord. When the connection broke, Fjord took the chance to quickly grab a drink off a passing tray to occupy his attention. To avoid spending all night staring or overthinking his realized feelings, he searched the room for another familiar face. Somehow, it seemed like the others had completely disappeared from the party. Even Caduceus, normally easy to pick out in a crowd, couldn't be seen among the people filling the room.

Movement out of the corner of his eye brought his attention to the wizard now standing next to him. The magic light floating around the room made his eyes sparkle, like the ocean when the sun was highest in the sky. The slight tilt of his head backward to look up at Fjord made him all too aware of the height difference between the two of them than he ever had before. 

“Why are you hiding in the corner?” The slight teasing tone of Caleb's voice included a hint of alcohol around the edges that caused his accent to come out slightly thicker. “You should be enjoying that party.”

“Is that what you're doing?”

He shrugged a shoulder as he briefly nibbled on his bottom lip and looked down at the drink in his hand. “Something like that.”

“Would something make it more enjoyable?”

“Well, I was hoping that I might be able to dance, but I don't have a partner.”

“I, um,” Fjord cleared his throat, then took Caleb's drink to put both glasses on a nearby table. “I can't promise that I'll be any good at it, but I can try.”

“You would?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

Despite his nerves, Fjord led Caleb into the middle of the ballroom and gently placed a hand on Caleb's waist. The other smiled brightly at him as they slowly swayed together while the others around them waltzed around the room. Even though it wasn't necessary, Fjord brushed a strand of hair behind Caleb's hair just to have an excuse to brush his fingers along his cheek in the process.

“Did you want-”

“This is fine.” Caleb leaned heavier into Fjord and let one of the hands wrapped around Fjord's neck drift up to cradle the back of his head. “Thank you for dancing with me. It's very kind of you to humor me.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. It's an honor to dance with you. I'm sure there's plenty of people that would love to be in my position.”

A light blush dusted his cheeks. “That's ridiculous.”

“Someone wanting to dance with an intelligent and gorgeous man. How ridiculous.”

“I'm not.”

“Caleb, you're-” Lips unexpectedly pressed against his so quickly, he didn't get the chance to do more than comprehend the sensation.

“I'm sorry. That was-”

As Caleb had done to him, Fjord cut him off by pressing their lips together for a soft kiss. Unlike Caleb, he didn't immediately pull away. Instead, he brought up a hand to lightly cup Caleb's jaw and encouraged him to tip his head slightly to the side. When they family broke away, Caleb blinked at him in confusion for a moment, then lightly scratched his fingernails against Fjord's scalp.

“Fjord?”

“When we're done here, can we talk about this? I'd, uh, like to do more dancing in the future. Together. Just the two of us.”

“I would like that, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	125. Prompt 125 - Caleb & Artagan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Caleb resurrects the cleric prompt" Jester dies and Cadueces has no spells left. Caleb using his Transmuter Stone resurrects her. The Traveller visits him later to thank him. I love your stories :)

“This is nice.” The unexpected voice across the table from him distracted him from his reading to the archfey casually lounging in a plush chair. “You did this yourself? How come I've never been invited?”

“Ja, I did. That is up to Jester. I did not think we were on speaking terms.”

“You are one of the few that didn't immediately want to throw me to the wolves, which means we're definitely on speaking terms.”

Caleb tipped his head thoughtfully to the side, then shrugged his shoulders and resumed his reading. “That seems like an odd reason to be on speaking terms, but I am not opposed. Is there something you wished to speak about?”

“Normally, it's considered rude to read while speaking to someone else.”

“It's also considered rude to show up unannounced and interrupt someone reading. You do not hear me complaining.”

“Someone is feeling feisty.” A finger snap filled the air that caused his book to disappear into thin air. “I do have other places to be, so I would appreciate your attention for this very important discussion.”

“What is it we need to discuss?”

“I wanted to thank you for resurrecting Jester. I am limited in what I am able to do because of the whole god-cleric thing. There are things I can't intervene on, and that was one of them, so thank you.”

“There is no reason to be thanking me. I was not going to let that happen when there was something I could do about it.”

“All the same, I appreciate you doing that. I would love to show you my gratitude in some way. What do wizards like? More fey cats?”

An annoyed cat hopped between them to hiss and swipe a set of claws at the archfey. “I think I am good on fey cats.”

“There's no need to be so rude. This is why I left the Feywild. All of you are heathen.”

“I would appreciate it if you did not speak to my cat that way.”

“It's not a cat.”

“Frumpkin likes to be a cat.” Caleb scratched his fingers below his chin earning him a pleased purr. “See?”

“Why are wizards always so weird?”

“Trauma.”

“A teddy bear then?”

“If that would make you feel better. Thanks is enough for me, not that I needed that.”

“Enormous teddy bear it is!”

The Traveler disappeared from the chair across from him, leaving behind a teddy bear the size of himself. Like Jester's magic, the bear was sparkling pink and covered in dicks that were barely visible. He blinked at the ostentatious bear for a moment, then pulled a wire out of his pocket.

“Jester, the Traveler has left a gift for you in the library. You should come collect it when you have a moment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	126. Prompt 126 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I dont know if you normally do sequels, but if you do I would love for Fjord and Caleb to have that conversation after Fjord "put Caleb in time out" in prompt 105. I loved that little story sooo much, and that awkward, slightly angsty conversation would just be, (chef's kiss) amazing!

“Hello, Fjord.” As he looked up, Caleb dropped into the chair across from with his hands clasped together on the table. “Can we talk?”

After flicking his eyes over to Jester at the bar, Fjord straightened himself up. “Of course. What do you want to talk about?”

“Is there a reason you decided it was appropriate to treat me like a child last night? Because as much as you all like to joke about me being squishy, that does not mean I am incapable of taking care of myself.”

“That's not what I was doing.”

“Except it was. If I want to get a little drunk and speak with someone, that is my decision to make. You had no right to act like a mother corralling a naughty child. I was in no danger, yet you inserted yourself anyways. Do you think I am not capable of making decisions for myself?”

“That's about the farthest thing from what I think of you.”

“Then why, exactly, did you do that? Because I have a hard time imagining what other reason you might possibly have.” Caleb looked down at his hands for a brief moment to take a deep breath, then met his gaze once more. “I don't appreciate what you did last night. I thought we were in a good spot. I thought we were making this work, but I'm feeling a bit foolish for thinking so. You obviously don't trust me, or you wouldn't feel like you have to divide your attention to keep in eye on me, then put me in a corner for Beau to watch when I do something you don't like.”

“Caleb-”

“Would you prefer I stay at the house next time or is it a matter of you not trusting me by myself?”

“You know I trust you.”

A teary laugh forced its way out of his throat as he reached a hand up to brush away a tear that slipped down his face. “I really don't. If you do, it certainly doesn't feel like it right now. We went out last night to unwind. You didn't feel the need to keep an eye on any of them, and Veth almost got caught stealing something. I'm not saying it is your responsibility to do that, but you can see why I would feel like you don't trust me, can't you?”

“It's not a matter of trust, Caleb. I do trust you.”

“Then what is it? Why is it that I'm not capable enough to take care of myself for one evening? You should have been focused on Jester, not me.”

“And why is that?”

“What do you mean why is that? You spent a majority of the evening with her, except when you decided I needed to be babysat. Am I wrong?”

“That's-” Fjord let out a low growl of frustration as he brought a hand up to rub at his temple. “Why are you always so difficult?”

“Excuse me?”

“It's impossible to talk to you.”

To avoid saying the first thing that came to mind, Caleb pursed his lips together in a thin line. “I did not realize it was such a chore to have a single conversation with me. I'll endeavor to make it easier in the future. I think it best we end this conversation here.”

“I didn't mean it that way. Could you please just listen for once?” After brushing away a few more tears, Caleb sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest with his eyes focused just to the right of Fjord. “Why is it that whenever I try to have this conversation with you, I always make an ass out of myself? This definitely has to be a new low. Beau is going to kick my ass for making you cry.”

“If there's something you want to say, can you please say it?”

“Look, Cay, I made an ass out of myself yesterday, and I'm still making an ass out of myself. I'm sorry for making you feel like I don't trust you or that I treated you like a child. That was not my intention. I handled things poorly because I couldn't manage my own emotions. That's on me. I'm sorry.”

“Okay.”

“Cay, can you please say something more than that?”

“What would you like me to say?”

Fjord's shoulders slumped in defeat and he sank lower in his chair. “What do I need to do? How do I make this better?”

“I don't know. You say you didn't treat me the way you did last night because you don't trust me. I still don't know why you did it. You say you're sorry. I still don't know what it is you're sorry for. I just... I don't know. It feels like we are going in circles with this.”

“I don't think now is a good time to tell you why.”

“When would be a good time for you?”

“For the love of-" A hand reached up to mess with his hair, then fell limp on the table. “I meant that I don't think you would appreciate knowing why I did that.”

“You think I would prefer to be kept in the dark and wondering what it is I did wrong.”

“Cay, you did nothing wrong.”

“But it feels like I did. Do you understand that? I thought we were good. We've been good, right? I don't know what I did.”

The scrape of Fjord's chair across the floor was quickly followed by his own chair being pushed back, so Fjord could kneel in front of him with his hands gently cupping Caleb's jaw. “Look, I know I've been an ass and I'm not trying to trivialize how I treated you, but is something else going on?”

“No. I don't know. I don't know what I'm talking about.”

“That's okay. You don't have to know, but you can talk to us if you need something or you just want to talk.”

“Yeah.”

“I know you don't trust me right now, but I mean it.” The hands on his face gently brought their foreheads to press together. “You can talk to me.”

“But you can't talk to me.”

“Don't hate me for it. Please.”

“Fjord?”

“I love you, okay? I'm a giant possessive asshole when I shouldn't be because I can't keep my own emotions in check. That's on me. I had no right to do what I did last night. You were having a good time, but I ruined it because I got jealous, then I dumped you on Beau so you wouldn't figure it out. This is all on me. Got that?”

“What do you mean you love me?”

A surprised chuckle rumbled through Fjord's chest. “I'm not sure how much clearer I could be. I'm head over heels, ass over elbows in love with you, Caleb Widogast.”

“Oh."

“Yeah."

“Well, I... I love you, too, so you can stop being an asshole about it.” Their laughed mixed together between them, allowing Caleb to finally relax. “Is that why you have been giving me all those presents?”

“Let's not talk about that.”

“They were very sweet.”

“They were lame.”

“Don't talk about my favorite chair like that.”

“Favorite, huh?”

“It is comforting. I love it.”

Fjord moved to press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose with a smile. “I love you so much. Being able to say that to you is never going to get old.”

“Please never stop saying it.”

“Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	127. Prompt 127 - Empire Siblings (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Empire siblings/Widofjord: When Caleb and Fjord told the rest of the Nein they were dating they got mostly what they expected. Jester was ecstatic for them, Veth threatened Fjord, the works. What they were not expecting was for Beu to have an existential crisis. Does she have the "you hurt him I hurt you" talk with Fjord or Caleb? Her Captain, or her pseudo brother? On one hand Caleb doesn't really need it with all his own issues, but Fjord's already had one.

Caleb hid his amusement in his drink as he watched Beau take a seat across from them with a frustrated expression twisting her face. For the better part of the past two days, Beau had the same expression whenever she saw either of him. If she hadn't been so supportive of him when he struggled with his feelings for Fjord, it might have concerned him. 

As it were, it quickly became clear she wasn't sure which of them she should sit down to have a conversation similar to what Veth had with Fjord the instant they told the group. Once Caleb picked up on that, he brought it up to Fjord, who decided the best course of action was to make it as difficult as possible on her. Whenever possible, Fjord would drop a kiss to the top of his head or wrap an arm around his waist. The flash of expressions that would cross Beau's face whenever she noticed brought a mild amount of amusement.

“Stop looking so smug.”

“Who is looking smug?”

“Both of you.” Beau slammed her elbow down hard on the table to point at them. “I know exactly what you have been doing. So, we'll just do this. I love you both. You're my captain, and I'm your first mate. You're like the brother I never wanted. I want both of you to happy, which you are together, so don't fuck it up. I don't want to have to pick sides because the two of you don't know how to communicate like adults. Got it?”

“We appreciate the concern, Beauregard. We would never do that to you. We love you too.”

“No one said anything about love.”

“If you say so. Now, are you satisfied that you've done your duty?”

With an annoyed shrug, Beau stole his drink from him to drain in all in one quick go. “I don't know. What else am I supposed to say?”

“That is up to you. You rarely have an issue with speaking your mind.”

“Just be happy together and don't let things get to the point that you can't be friends if a romantic relationship doesn't work.”

“We can do that.”

“Can you? You're both disasters, and now you're dating.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

“I'm just stating the facts.” Beau pushed away from the table with Caleb's cup still in her hand. “I'll let you two go back to being disgusting.”

“We are not disgusting.”

“You don't have to see the heart eyes you make at each other.”

“You are making that up.”

“Veth agrees with me, and so do Yasha.”

“Yasha always agrees with you.”

“Does not.”

“Does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	128. Prompt 128 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I miss when the group actually did something with their healing kits. Can we get a patching someone up after the healing runs out?

After carefully helping Fjord out of his armor and undershirt, Caleb urged him to sit on the edge of the bed. A pained grunt slipped from his lips despite his best attempts to bite it back. With the healer's kit easily within reach, he knelt on the bed behind Fjord to assess the damage. A dark splattering bruise took up a majority of his back, but that was nothing compared to the thick gash along his shoulder blade.

The moment the antiseptic soaked cloth pressed into the wound Fjord's entire body went completely stiff. While he wanted to back off, Caleb carefully continued to clean out the entire wound. As soon as he finished, he pressed a few light kisses to the top of Fjord's shoulder while he waited for his breathing to even out. His shoulders slowly relaxed, until he seemed moments away from collapsing back.

With a steadying hand pressed to the one clear spot on Fjord's back, Caleb lathered the wound with a healing salve. He quickly followed that up with wrapping a bandage just tightly enough around his upper body and shoulder to keep the wound protected. When he was sure it wouldn't cause pain from the bruises, he pressed another kiss to his shoulder, then began clearing away the healer's kit.

“Wait.” A hand covered his as he began to step away from the bed. “What about you?”

“I have nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. You took most of the hits meant for me, which was a poor decision on your part.”

“I would do it again.”

“Please don't. I would prefer you to remain in one piece.”

While he could have pulled away, Caleb allowed Fjord to use his hold on his hand to guide him onto his lap. “I hate seeing you hurt.”

“The feeling is mutual. That is why I would prefer you not take hits meant for me.”

“Cay-”

“Fjord, things like this are part of our lives. You can't take every hit for me, and I do not want you to. You need to take care of yourself.”

“But you do such a good job for me.”

“We'll see if you feel the same when you roll over in the middle of the night and end up waking up because you aggravated that.”

“I'll just sleep on top of you, so I don't accidentally do that.”

“You are ridiculous.”

When Fjord opened his mouth to say something, Caleb took the momentary distraction as an opportunity to slip off his lap. After packing the healer's kit away in the bag of holding, he quickly changed into his typical sleepwear. As expected, Fjord did exactly as he said he would when Caleb laid down on the bed. He pillowed his head comfortably on Caleb's chest and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Sleep well, Fjord.”

“How could I not when I'm this comfortable?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	129. Prompt 129 - Widofjord (Hinted Beauyaster)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Prompt based on that AO3 tag combination. Mine was "Hurt/Comfort + With confessions" So Widofjord AND Beauyaster. Caleb and Yasha get taken and placed under a spell that makes them relive their worst moments. Greater Restoration does not seem to work but the power of LOVE does. Because of course it does.

The combination of his sword slashing through the wizard's throat and Beau pummeling them from behind finally took them out. As soon as the last breath left their body, Fjord turned to the two members of their party that were hit with a spell he hadn't recognized. The instant it struck them their faces had twisted into pure horror and their bodies locked up. While they hoped taking the wizard out would end the spell, both were still frozen in place with their eyes glazed over.

After a moment of consideration, Caduceus pulled a handful of diamond dust out of his pouch and placed a hand on Caleb's arm. When the diamond disappeared from sight, but Caleb remained catatonic, the worry in Fjord's chest grew in intensity. The expression on Caduceus's face when he turned to them sent his stomach immediately plummeting.

“I can ask the Wildmother for guidance, but I am not sure there is anything I can do for them.”

Rather than sit around while Caduceus spoke to her, Fjord limped his way over to Caleb to give him the last of the healing he had left. Not even a twitch or shift in his features came in response to the wounds slowly healing. With a sigh, Fjord gently cradled Caleb's face in his hands and gently tilted his head from one side to the other searching for something.

“Come on, Cay. I don't know what that asshole did to you, but I need you to fight it. Can you do that for me? I know it's a lot to ask. I just... I have no idea what else to do. This is more of your area of expertise than mine.” A shaky laugh fell from his lips as he brought their foreheads together. “I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from this. I want to do a better job of keeping you safe, but it feels like I always fuck it up. You mean a lot to me, and it tears me up when you're hurting and there's nothing I can do to help.”

A slow blink from Caleb brought his string of words to abrupt halt as he nervously waited for another sign of him breaking free of the spell. Another blink had Caleb's eyes focusing enough for him to actually meet Fjord's gaze instead of blankly staring. While his expression remained pained, Fjord took the sign of coming back to himself as a positive sign.

“Hey, hey there. I'm right here, Cay. Keep fighting it. I know that you can do it. You're the strongest person I know.” A strange, choked noise came from Caleb that had Fjord dropping a hand from his face to wrap tightly around his waist and tug him closer. “I mean it. Everything you've been through and you've managed to come out a kind and strong person. You're full of love and life. You make me want to be better. You've shown me how to be better. Please come back to me.”

“Fjord?”

“Yeah, I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere.”

Hand latched onto him as Caleb pushed his body forward into Fjord's with a heartbreaking sob. “You're really here?”

“Where else would I be?”

When tears began to flow down Caleb's face, Fjord shifted his hold on Caleb to tuck his head securely under his chin with a hand cupping the side of his head. His eyes flicked over to the others to see Beau and Jester wrapped around Yasha speaking to her in hushed voices. While her eyes were still vacant, he could see a slight twitch from her fingers that must mean their words were getting through to her. With a relieved sigh, Fjord buried his face on the top of Caleb's head and tightened his hold on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	130. Prompt 130 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Widofjord: Caleb is too tired to walk after spending an entire day and night researching something....one would think this would stop him and have him go take a nap at least. Nope. If Fjord is going to get his wizard to sleep he needs to get him away from his lab. Cue Fjord lifting Caleb bridal style and carrying him away to sleep and being half amazed half annoyed by how many books the man somehow managed to grab and keep reading while being lifted away from his desk.

After taking a moment to prepare him, Fjord entered the library to find Caleb right where he had left him when he brought him dinner earlier that evening. He felt a little bit better about Caleb working himself so hard at the sight of his dinner plate completely cleared of food. However, the haggard expression and wild hair meant it was time to force him away from the books for some much needed sleep.

Not even his shadow falling across his work drew Caleb's attention to him, which meant it would either be easy to pull him away or a monumental battle. In preparation, Fjord moved as many sheets of paper and books out of the way as possible and closed the open inkwell to avoid a disastrous spill. As slowly as he could manage, Fjord moved Caleb's chair backwards and sideways to give him easy access to the man. When he had enough space to maneuver, he moved in to quickly lift Caleb's from his chair before he realized what was happening.

An annoyed grumble from Caleb preceded him quickly reaching out a hand to grab as many of the books Fjord left within reach as possible. Despite his best attempt to immediately move him away from the desk, an obscene number of books somehow found their way into his grasp. While he was tempted to tilt him so all the books would tumble to the ground, the last thing he wanted to do was damage any of them. Instead, when Fjord reached the bed, he dropped Caleb to the mattress to give himself time to grab some of them.

“No, I need those.”

“Caleb, darling, I love you, but,” Without Caleb's limited focus on him, Fjord took all except the book clasped tightly to his chest. “you're an absolutely menace in desperate need of sleep. Your bags have bags. Would you please go to sleep?”

“I am not a menace.”

“You really, really are. You want to know how I know you are?” He lifted up two of the books, then set them back on the ground well out of Caleb's reach. “Because no one should be able to grab this many books when they're exhausted and had no idea they were about to be forced to bed.”

“That doesn't make me a menace.”

“It does.”

While he was obviously having trouble keeping his eyes open, Caleb set the book down on the bedside table, so he could lean over to steal a kiss from Fjord without worry of it ending up on the floor. “Does not.”

“You can't just kiss and blink your big, blue eyes out of this one. It's time for bed.”

“Will you be joining me?”

“Caleb-”

“I promise to sleep. After all, I sleep better with you here.”

“You...” Fjord let out a heavy sigh of defeat when Caleb gave an exaggerated blink and snuggled down on the bed making a show of leaving plenty of space for him. “Give me a few minutes to clean your mess away, then I'll join you.”

After grabbing all the books, Fjord lifted from the ground with a grunt and was nearly out of the room when Caleb's voice brought him to a momentary halt. “Fjord, thank you for taking care of me. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Even if you are a menace.” Soft laughter brought a smile to his face as he entered the library once more to make sure none of Caleb's hard work would be ruined before calling it an evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	131. Prompt 131 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What if Beau went unconscious in the Baby Nightmare thing?

As the horrific creature went down with a terrible shriek, Caleb carefully worked his way around it to find Yasha and Veth digging into its mouth. Before he could even ask what they were doing, a limp body fell to the ground as the two stumbled back. He sprinted the remaining distance to drop to his knees next to Beauregard's unusually still form. A press of fingers against the side of her neck to check for a pulse sent a wave of panic through him when he felt nothing.

“Caduceus!” While he wanted to lift his gaze to see if the other was coming, his eyes were glued to Beau's acid burned face. “Hurry!”

The sparkle of a diamond out of the corner of his eye had him holding his breath as he desperately waited for Caduceus to finish the spell. As the diamond burst into light green dust that sank into Beau, her lungs sucked in a deep breath and her eyes popped open. A hand reached up to grab his arm in a tight grip that would undoubtedly leave bruises behind, but he didn't care in the least. Instead of commenting, he pulled Beau up for a tight hug that he didn't plan on ending any time soon. Her arms reached up to wrapped around his neck as she buried her face in his neck and released a heavy breath. 

“I smell like baby guts.”

“When have you ever spent enough time with a baby to know what that smells like?”

“When have you?”

He pressed a snort into the of her head that he immediately regretted when a combination of a disgusting smell and burning sensation met his nostrils. “You will be happy to know that I will not be able to make the tower tonight. You are going to stink worse than I did when we met the next couple of days.”

“What is the point of bringing you to ancient magic civilization sites if you can't make us a fancy tower, so we don’t have to smell like baby guts?”

“My charming personality.”

“Now, that is a funny joke.” With a grunt, Beau used Caleb's shoulders to push herself shakily to her feet. “It would be great if things would stop trying to eat me.”

“Stop getting so close to their mouths and they won't try to eat you that's what I do.”

“Oh, is that the secret? Why didn't I think of that?”

“I have no idea. You're supposed to be smart.”

“I am smart, you dick.”

Despite knowing she could use his offer of support to put him in a headlock, Caleb wrapped her arm around his shoulder and his around her waist to help her limp over to a spot they could rest for an hour. “Then stop getting so close to their mouths. What else do you want me to tell you?”

“You're the worst friend.”

“Next time, I'll tell them to leave you in there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	132. Prompt 132 - Mighty Nein

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Could we get an expansion on that empire siblings prompt (on ao3 they're chapter 48 and 52) about the Nein being captured and Beau being chosen to stay behind, maybe how the Nein react after Caleb makes his choice or what happens to Beau when the rest of them leave on their mission.

The instant their captors set them on their way Caleb nearly dropped to his knees as the panic hit him hard in the chest. A hand catching him by the elbows was the only thing that kept him on his feet when his knees gave out. He leaned back into the chest of whoever managed to stop him from falling, but kept his eyes focused down to avoid meeting anyone's gaze. Instead of the berating he was expecting, a hand gently touched his chin to tip his head up.

Yasha gave him a comforting smile, then pulled him free of whoever had him to give him a hug that completely enveloped him. After a moment of standing stiffly in her arms, Caleb slowly wrapped his arms around her to reciprocate the hug. When she finally pulled away, he received a light pat on the head and another smile that helped settle a little of the mounting anxiety in his chest.

“We are going to get her back.” The surety in Yasha's voice had him immediately nodding in agreement. “She will be fine. We're not going to leave her there. All we need is a plan.”

“Things will be worse the second time. It has to work.”

“Then we will just need to make a very good plan.”

“That is going to be easier said than done.”

“We'll think of something. We always do. She trusts you. She knows we will come back for her.”

While he wanted to say something, all he could manage was nodding his head in agreement and resisting the urge to look away. Yasha gave him another pat on the head, then wrapped him up in a tighter hug than the previous. He leaned heavily into her for support and took a couple calming breaths.

“Where do we start?”

“Getting back in is probably a good start, then we go from there.”

“Right, getting in.” Caleb picked his head up to give a nod, then took a step back. “We can do that.”

“One step at a time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	133. Prompt 133 - Widofjord (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: pre-relationship widofjord in their formal outfits preparing for an occasion, seeing each other and going speachless 😳😶 and stupid dumb about each other... Others noticing and teasing them until they admit their feelings ❤️❤️❤️

“Dude, you have to say something.” Despite doing his best to ignore Beau, her refusal to stop following him around with the exception of the minute it took her to grab Astrid made it impossible. “Don't you agree?”

With a sigh, Caleb turned around before Astrid could respond to glare at the pair of them. “You don't have to answer that because I already know what you're going to say, and it's not happening. I don't have any plans to make a biggest fool out of myself than I already have tonight.”

“The only reason you look like a fool is because you have asked him out yet. You both got hearts in your eyes when you saw each other. Get your heads out of your asses, so we can stop watching you dancing around each other.”

“We are not dancing around each other.”

“You absolutely are.” Beau turned to Astrid for confirmation, then sent him a smirk when Astrid nodded in agreement. “See! Everyone knows. Just ask him to dance or something.”

“I thought you didn't want us dancing.”

“I don't want you both ass over elbows for each other but refusing to do anything about it. Fjord thought you looked so good he literally lost his train of thought when you walked into the room. Just kiss already or something. I'm begging you.”

“Are you going to ask Jester and Yasha to dance?”

“What does that have anything to do with what we're talking about?”

After draining the last of his drink, Caleb placed a hand on his hip and quirked an eyebrow up. “I don't want you all ass over elbows for each other but refusing to do anything about it. Just kiss already or something.”

“Fuck you.”

“What? I thought you could use a little encouragement.”

“Encouragement you say?”

“Beau-”

Before he could even attempt to make a grab for her wrist, Beau disappeared into the sea of partygoers around them. When he moved to follow, a hand gently wrapped around his upper arm to get him to stay in place. The smile that played along Astrid's lips when he came to an immediate halt had him rolling his eyes in response.

“Don't roll your eyes at me. You are being ridiculous.”

“How am I the one being ridiculous?”

“There is a handsome man that you have wrapped around your finger, and you're just tugging him along.” She stepped in front of him to adjust his coat, then gave an approving hum after a little fussing. “Are you going to keep tugging or do something about it?”

“He could do better.”

“Did you ever consider that you make him feel like he is better man? Because I get the feeling that's how he makes you feel.”

“That might have come up in conversation.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

As he opened his mouth to respond, a shadow fell across them that ended up being Beau returning with Fjord in toe. She immediately let go of Fjord's arm in favor of linking arms with Astrid and guiding her away from them. While he was tempted to follow after them in spite, he took a deep breath to steel his nerves, then turned to Fjord. The confusion twisting his expression disappeared as he looked down at Caleb with a soft smile.

“Any idea what that was about?”

“You expect me to be able to explain Beauregard's thought process?”

“The two of you are attached at the hip. If anyone could explain it, it would be you.”

“If we were attached at the hip, she would still be here.” The fond eye rolling that Fjord directed at him eased his nerves. “Fjord?”

“Caleb?”

“You look very handsome tonight. This is a good look on you.”

“Well, uh, the same could be said for you. You look beautiful. It's a little distracting.”

“Only a little?”

A sharp inhale from Fjord almost caused Caleb's heart to stall in his chest out of fear that he completely misread their interactions, but a hand settling gently on his hip sent that thought right out of his head. “More than a little. I've been thinking about you all evening.”

“I've been thinking about you, too. Would you...” The hand on his hip gave a light squeeze of encouragement that he leaned into. “Would you care to dance with me?"

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	134. Prompt 134 - Wildbrothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A prompt if you want more of those? I really liked that orc rage instinct one you did and well...The wildmother would approve of Fjord following his instincts after all instincts are a natural reaction to things and she is all about nature. So maybe having Caduceus and Fjord talk about his instincts and how it is one of the many ways that Melora helps them and that he should trust and not be ashamed of following his instincts a bit more often.

“Would you like some tea?” A steaming cup of tea appeared in front of his face that he instinctively took. “Mind if I join you?”

“Please.”

Caduceus took a seat next to him with his own cup held between his palms. “Beautiful morning. Did you get a good night's rest?”

“Uh, not really. It was... a lot of tossing and turning.”

“Something on your mind?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“You should have spent the night with him. It probably would have made rest come easier. Your mind might know he's safe and alive, but it's not the same as being there.”

“I didn't... What makes you think that's the problem?”

“Nature often relies on instinct to survive. Instincts help guide our decisions when we're not sure what it is we need. Fighting against all of our instincts makes life difficult. What you did to protect Caleb yesterday was instinct. They allowed you to do what you needed to do to make that possible. Melora guided you in that moment because she knows your instincts will lead you down the right path.”

“That doesn't mean I should use them as an excuse to force myself on him.” Fjord stared down at the steaming tea. “It's not his fault that I can't sleep because of my own instincts.”

“Do you think Caleb will not understand that?”

“That's not what I said.”

“Then what's stopping you from asking him whether he would accept your instincts?”

“That seems like a strange thing to ask.”

“If you're worried about him not being comfortable with your instincts, what else would you ask? Assuming isn't knowing.”

“I don't want to put him in an uncomfortable position like that.”

A light pat on his shoulders pulled his attention up to a softly smiling Caduceus. “I don't think that conversation will make him feel as uncomfortable as you are imagining. Caleb has instincts just as you do and there are things that he needs after experiences such as what he went through yesterday. He might have found comfort in your instincts last night as well.”

“You think so?”

“It's not too late to ask. I think I heard him in the library while I was making tea.”

“He's still up?”

“Most likely.”

“If it's not too rude-”

“Nonsense.” Caduceus took the cup from his hand and motioned for him to leave the room. “Do what you need to do. The both of you could use the rest.”

“Thanks, Cad.”

“You're welcome. I'm always happy to talk if you need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	135. Prompt 135 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mighty Nein; No Healing in Wonderland

As the others discussed whether it best to settle down for the evening, Caleb leaned heavily against the nearest wall. The long worn off adrenaline meant he was acutely aware of intense pain throbbing from the large wound in his side. His coat long ago drenched through with the blood pouring from the wound, but the dark coloration meant it didn't stand out. It allowed him to keep the others unaware as all his energy went to maintaining pace with them to avoid any questions.

A wave of nausea and dizziness would have sent him to his knees if it weren't for the wall keeping him mostly upright. He pressed a hand to his side with a pained hiss to stem the flow, but he knew it was mostly likely too little too late. Between none of the healing magic working and the depth of the wound, there wasn't anything to be done. He'd be lucky if he resisted the blood loss long enough to make it to the morning.

“Are you going to stand their all night?” Beau's firm voice drug him out of the painful haze long enough to realize everyone was staring at him. “You can still do the dome, right?”

“Ja, but I'm not sure how long it will last?”

“What do you mean? Do you think whatever's preventing them from healing could impact the dome?”

“I suppose it could, but I-” He pulled hand away from his side to show her the red staining it. “I'm not sure that will be the issue. It'll probably drop in the middle of the night.”

A swear fell from her lips as she rushed over to him to pull his clothing out of the way so she could see. “Why didn't you say something?”

“What would that have done? We are not equipped to handle this kind of injury without magic.”

“We could have turned back!”

“And let them get to it first?”

“Who gives a fuck?”

“I give a fuck!” His bloody hand latched onto Beau's bicep in a firm grip like that would make her see reason. “We've seen what they are and what they are capable of. They can't get there first. We can't let that happen. There's no turning back."

“So what? You die from blood loss and we just keep going?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck you!”

“I'm sorry for putting this weight on your shoulders.”

“You think I care about that? You promised you wouldn't leave. You said we were partners.”

“We are. I'm sorry I let you down.”

“Stop it.”

“Beauregard-”

“Stop it!” While part of him expected a punch to the jaw, arms wrapping around him to pull him into a tight hug. “I don't want you to go. I don't know if I can do this without you.”

“You can do this. I know you can, Expositor Lionett.”

“Please.”

“Here.” He pressed the wand into her hand, then snapped Frumpkin onto her shoulders. “Take care of this for me?”

“How do I get him back?”

“You know which page it is.”

“I don't do magic.”

“You could. You're good with the arcane. You can figure it out.”

“We're going to get you back. As soon as we get out of this place, we're getting you back. Don't think you can just leave.”

“Where would I even go? You're my family, Beauregard. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	136. Prompt 136 - Widofjord (Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: M9 play the fantasy version of truth or dare and widofjord end up kissing. pre-relationship, lots of angst about confessing feelings that might be there. you know?

“We don't actually have to do this. We're both good liars. The only one we have to worry about knowing is Caduceus.”

“If that is what you would prefer to do.” Caleb scratched at his arm while looked just to the side of Fjord so he wouldn't have to actually look him in the eye. “It is your dare.”

“You're the one that got roped into it.”

“We all agreed to play. Did you really think a dare like this wouldn't happen?”

“I knew it was likely. I just thought it would be someone else.”

His heart squeezed painfully in his chest, but he kept his face as carefully neutral as ever. “I suppose you expected to end up here with Jester. I can help with that if you would like. I am sure she would be happy to take that dare.”

“That's not-” Fjord rubbed the back of his neck, then loudly cleared his throat. “You don't need to do that. Do you think we've been in here long enough?”

“They never said we had to kiss on the lips. If you don't want to worry about lying, you could just kiss me on the head or something.”

“That is a good point.”

The lightest press of lips against the top of his head followed by Fjord pulling back was the last thing he felt before the door opened. Various levels of curiosity greeted them as they joined the other once more. A few teasing comments were quickly batted away by Fjord as he took his turn to pick on someone. While he felt eyes on himself, he made sure to avoid eye contact with Beau as long as he possibly could.

When Jester accepted Veth's dare to spend a few minutes in the other room with Fjord, he prepared for the onslaught. The door barely clicked closed before Veth was scrambling over to press her ear against it and someone moved next to him. He tensed in preparation for her first question, which came out in a low whisper.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“What do you think? How did it go?”

“How did your dare go?”

“Yeah. You were in there for a while.”

He turned to find honest curiosity mixed with something he couldn't quite put his finger on in her eyes. “He suggested we lie to all of you because I got roped into his dare, then he kissed the top of my head so we wouldn't have to worry about that. I think he's current situation was more of what he expected of the evening.”

“Seriously?”

“What did you expect to happen, Beauregard?”

“I expect the two of you to take the opportunity to finally admit your feelings for each other.”

“You mean my feelings for him.”

“No, I mean for each other.”

“He does not feel the same way.” When Beau opened her mouth to argue, he held up a hand to indicate he wasn't finished. “The first thing he did when we got in there was suggest we lie, then I mentioned he rather be with Jester and he didn't deny it. I think that is a very clear picture.”

“Did you even try to tell him, or did you just go along with whatever he wanted?”

“I'm sorry. Were you expecting me to drop that on him as soon as we got in there? Beau dared you to kiss because I'm in love with you. I hope you feel the same, or this is about to get extremely uncomfortable for the both of us.”

While he expected Beau to have an immediate response, she remained completely silent to his sarcastic comment. The question on the tip of his tongue die as he noticed Beau looking at something behind him. A glance over his shoulder at the two standing completely still behind him having obviously overheard sent his heart plummeting. He quickly rose from his seat and hurried out of the room before anyone could break the silence.

Cool air greeted him the instant he exited the Xhorhaus into the winter's night air. After a moment of indecision, he headed left down the street and turned the corner. He barely made it five minutes before the combination of tears filling his eyes and struggling to breath forced him to find a spot to sit for a moment.

A shadow falling across him a few minutes later sent a wave of fear through him at the sudden realization he was a lone human in Xhorhas. At the sight of Fjord above him, he pulled his knees up to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut. Hands wrapped around his to help him back to his feet despite wanting nothing more than to stay he accepted the help.

“Cay, will you look at me please?” With a shaky sigh, Caleb forced his eyes open to see concern in Fjord's. “I should have said something sooner. I had an inkling that you felt the same, but I... I love you, too. I'm sorry for making you think otherwise.”

“You don't need to say that just to make me-”

His sentence was cut off by lips capturing his in a kiss that took him completely by surprise. “I should have done that earlier.”

“Ja, you should have.”

“I won't make the same mistake again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	137. Prompt 137 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: re-reading prompt 105 gave me an idea of Fjord being super grumpy and cuddly with Caleb pre-relationship in the corner of a bar despite refusing to explain why he's not letting Caleb off his lap or really reacting with more then one syllable while sputtering and trying to hide in Caleb as much as he can because disaster gay who needs his emotional support wizard can't figure out how to "words good" to explain his feelings to Caleb.

Caleb brought a hand up to scratch at the top of Fjord's head when he shoved his face firmer into the side of Caleb's neck. After a few comments from a man at the bar that had Caleb feeling uncomfortable, he found himself perched on Fjord's lap in the corner with the other members of the Nein surrounding them. Despite attempts to get explanation from Fjord for his behavior, all they had gotten were a few spluttered words followed by him hiding against Caleb. While he didn't fully understand Fjord's reasoning, the rough day made him more than willing to accept the treatment. Sitting on Fjord's lap was much better for his aching muscles than the old wooden chairs.

“Anyone want another drink?” As Beau and Yasha both rose from the table, he saw Beau's eyes look pointedly at the man wrapped around him. “This rounds on us.”

He finished off his drink, then checked the tankard next to his that he was fairly sure Fjord barely touched and jostled his shoulder to get Fjord's attention. “Are you going to drink this?”

A muffled response against the side of his throat was impossible for him to hear over the shouting at the table next to them. With a fond sigh, he bounced his shoulder a few more times to dislodge Fjord from his hiding place. To his mild annoyance, the arms around his waist tightened and Fjord used his larger body to prevent Caleb from being able to shake him off. He gave up his attempt to force a response out of Fjord in favor of leaning back with Fjord's tankard now held in his hands.

When Beau gave him an expectant look, he held up a singular finger, then let his hand drop down to rest over Fjord's on his waist. He tapped a steady rhythm against the back of Fjord's hand but was brought to a stop when a larger one intertwined with his. A soft squeeze on his hand preceded another rumble against the side of his throat that he couldn't interpret. He took a long pull from the tankard and set it back on the table, so he could return his hand to lightly scratching at Fjord's scalp.

“If you want him to leave you alone,” The flash of a dagger appeared in Veth's hand as she started to lean across the table. “I can move him for you.”

“That's not necessary. He's not doing any harm.”

“Are you sure? He looks like he's crushing you.”

A strange noise reached his ears, then Fjord clung tighter to his waist and hunched down like he was trying not to be seen by the others. “Veth, I really don't mind. Honestly, this is probably more comfortable than sitting in a chair. I am still sore from earlier.”

“Why didn't you say something? We could have gone to the Xhorhaus instead of coming here.”

“It is not that bad. I'm good, Veth. Truly, I am.”

“As long as you're sure.” Despite her words, she gave Fjord a sharp look as she tucked her dagger back into her belt. “We should head back soon. It has been a long day. Everyone could use the rest.”

Another squeeze from Fjord had Caleb hiding a smile into his stolen drink. “I agree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	138. Prompt 138 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Teenwolf au Prompt: Fjord is a reluctant alpha dealing with a very rowdy pack when one of Veth's friends moves into town and asks to have a meeting with Fjord and the pack to see about becoming a human member of the pack for his protection offering his magical abilities as a bribe to join them...if only Fjord could remember how to talk and how to curb the instinct to hunt for this skinny man and show him he could be a good potential mate...god he hopes no one notices him stumbling over himself.

“Does that seem like a favorable arrangement?” Beautiful blue eyes bore into his own as Caleb waited for his final decision.

“That, uh, sounds fine to me. Magic isn't exactly my area of expertise and Veth speaks highly of you. I don't see a problem with it. What about the rest of you?”

He turned to look at Beau, who raised her eyebrow at him with a knowing smirk that he tried his best to ignore. While he knew there was not much that got past her, he had hoped that he was holding his composure enough to make it through this conversation without her noticing. Instead, he would mostly likely have to deal with her teasing and questioning as soon as the others left.

“I say yes. I could use more help researching.” Beau flicked her eyes momentarily over to Caleb, then sent Fjord a glare. “And a second researcher would mean more of a reason to finally finish the library.”

“It's on my list.”

“It's been on your list.”

“It's not my fault we get attacked every other week, or that your sparring ends up putting other things on the list that I have to prioritize."

An eye roll from her had Fjord fighting back a face palm at the all too familiar argument that he was tired of having. “We broke a wall one time. You can't keep using that as an excuse.”

“Last week, you slammed Veth so hard into the floorboards there was a Veth shaped hole in the floor.”

“It wasn't that bad.”

“As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly who it was. That's exactly why I told you to do stuff like that outside, but you all never listen.”

“We listen.”

“Right, you just choose not to do what I tell you to.” With an annoyed huff at Beau's shrug, Fjord turned to Caleb and motioned at Beau. “Still want to join?”

An amused chuckle shook Caleb's shoulders as he considered Fjord's question for a moment. “Veth made me aware that your pack dynamic was not of the... traditional sort. She may have told me a few stories.”

“Well, at least you know what you're getting into. Unless someone has an objection, you're more than welcome to join." He looked at the other one last time-Caduceus gave a soft smile, Yasha gave a nod, Jester bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. "That's settled then. Welcome to the pack. There are a couple of free rooms if you want to pick one for your own. If there's anything you need, let me know.”

“That's very kind of you, Fjord. Thank you.”

“Don't mention it. I'm sure you'll fit right in.”

“Well, I just hope I can hold up my end of the bargain.”

“I don't doubt you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	139. Prompt 139 - Mighty Nein (Widofjord/Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pokemon mighty Nein au: The Mighty Nein are the gym leaders for the region each one having their own type specializations. Fjord water, Caleb fire, Beau fighting, Jester fairy, Caddy bug, Yasha electric, Molly dark (maybe?) and Veth (ghost due to invisible mage hand? Iunno) so they meet up to have dinner and talk about the new trainers and the on going threat from the local evil team. All kind of missing going on their journey when they were younger.

“Caleb, Fjord, over here!” Jester enthusiastically waved at them from across the restaurant along with shouting, which naturally drew the eyes of every patron. “Come on, we want to see the baby pictures!”

With a found huff under his breath, Fjord placed a hand on Caleb's lower back to urge him over to their seats a little quicker than before. As soon as they reached the table, Jester shifted excitedly in her seat only to go completely still when Caleb placed a Poké Ball. A little smirk played along his lips as Caleb took one of the two empty seats, then motioned for his husband to do the same. 

“That one has been particularly rambunctious. We felt that there was only one home for him.”

“Are you sure? He's your baby.”

“We are positive, Jester. He does not get along so well with all the others. He will be much better off with you.”

“What's his name?”

“Nothing. We thought you would like to decide.”

Her chair scraped against the floor in her haste to rush around the table to wrap them both up in a tight hug. “Thank you. You're the best.”

“You're welcome, Jester. We know you'll take good care of him.” After one last squeeze, she returned to her seat with the Poké Ball held in her hands. “So, what were you talking about before we interrupted?”

“What reason could you possibly have for taking so long to get here?”

“Well, Beauregard, some of us live far away from the city and had business to take care of before they could leave.”

“Sounds like a whole lot of excuses to me. You missed the trainers arriving.”

“Was Cali there?”

“Yeah, don't worry. Your protégé made it safely to the arena.”

"She is not my protégé.”

“Sure, that's why she talked about how kind you were and how you gave her some really helpful tips and-”

“Your point has been made.” Caleb flicked a salt packet at Beau's face that she easily snatched out of the air. “She needed a little help. The Scourgers were being a nuance. She just needed a little confidence boost.”

“As bleeding a heart as ever. How much longer until the two of you stop fostering every Pokémon that needs a little help and finally adopt a kid? I want a niece that I can spoil.”

“Not everything is about what you want. We might not be gallivanting across the region like we used to, but the Scourgers have been an annoyance in Port Damali recently and the gym takes up a lot of our time.”

Beau cracked her fingers with a heavy sigh. “Those were the days. As fun as it is getting to teach the up-and-comers a lesson, I missed going out, kicking Scourger ass, catching Pokémon, battling you whenever we got the chance. Good times!”

“Is that a not-so-subtle hint that you want to battle before we head back?”

“Do you still remember how to solo battle or will Yasha or Jester have to join?”

“I do plenty of solo battles. Fjord and I are married, not attached at the hip.”

“Could've fooled me.”

“Very funny.” He rolled his eyes at Beau's pleased smirk. “What about the rest of you? How are things going with all of you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	140. Prompt 140 - Caleb & Artagan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Loved The Caleb-Artagan banter! Okay so idea, Caleb has to resummon Frumpkin in Eiselcross, but intead of Frumpkin, it's Artagan as his Familiar. Chaos Ensues!!!

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think?" While maintaining his concentration on the spell, he momentarily flicked his eyes up to meet Beau's eyes. “I want my cat back.”

“Can't wait for the tower for that?”

“Did you need me something while I have been sitting here for fifty-eight minutes?”

“We could have.”

“That is the story of our lives, but I have not let that stop me before and I would say rightfully so considering nothing happened other than... whatever Jester is doing.”

A slightly disgusted expression flitted across Beau's face as she glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, I stopped asking questions after she pulled out the things heart and started cutting into it. I'm thinking it's better not to know.”

“Probably.”

With a last flick of his wrist, he finished off the spell and snapped his book shut as he waited the brief second between completing the spell and Frumpkin appearing. A sudden unexpectedly bright flash filled the space that forced him to blink several times to clear his vision. When he could finally see again, it wasn't Frumpkin standing before him. Instead, it was a figure in a flowing green cloak.

“This is a bit of an unconventional way of doing things, but I'm always up for the unconventional. What mischief are we...” As the figure turned to face him, he fought back an exhausted sigh. “You're not Jester.”

“What gave it away?”

“Was someone looking for their cat?”

After taking a moment to rub his temples in frustration, Caleb grabbed his book off the ground and rose to his feet. “Jester, your friend is here.”

“Now, there's no need to be so grumpy. Aren't you happy to see me?”

“No.”

“I'm wounded.”

“You'll get over it.”

“That's incredibly rude. You're lucky I'm in a good mood.” A finger booped his nose, then a familiar weight settled across his shoulders. “Are we feeling better now?”

As he reached up a hand to scratch at Frumpkin's chin, he stole a glance at Beau to see her looking blankly at archfey. “Any explanation for how that happened?”

“I'm sure you already know this place does strange things to magic.”

“Summoning an archfey instead of a familiar is a bit more than strange.”

“Maybe, but you know what it definitely is?” When he raised a questioning eyebrow, Artagan dramatically threw his arms out with a smile. “It's a fun party trick. Imagine people's faces when you pull an archfey out of a hat instead of a cat.”

“I do not do party tricks.”

“But you could. We could have a lot of fun.”

“Will you stop bringing it up if I agree to think about it?”

“I'm going to hold you to that.”

“I'm aware, but I can't deal with this right now, so I'll think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	141. Prompt 141 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beau fails a wisdom save mid battle?

The horrific screech of the ghostly figure echoed off the cavern walls like it was going to completely engulf them all in its misery. While he fought back the urge to lose himself in memories, Beau's body went strangely limp. Her clenched fists fell open to her side and her feet planted on the floor. As soon as she went still, the figure turned to face her and glided across the ground to nearly reach her.

Before it could get any closer, he slammed his hands against the ground to send out a web of fire that burst out to engulf it in flames. It let out a shriek of pain, then lifted a finger to point at him and screamed. A cold sensation washed over him, then something grabbed his heart in a crushing hold. He fought back tears from the pain to see Beau suddenly surrounded by more ghostly figures.

The grip kept him locked in place to helplessly watch them take swings that seemed to drain her to the point she was hardly standing. He was sure she would go down with the next blow from the one that left her stunned. If he could have managed it, he would have sighed in relief at Fjord jumping in the way to take two swings at it. The distraction put all its focus on Fjord instead of Beau for the two flails it attempted. They both ended up going wide to its immense frustration.

A sudden release of the hold on him left him gasping for just a brief second as he flicked his eyes over to Yasha. He gave her a quick nod of thanks, then quickly pulled out what his needed to create a tight circle of fire surrounding Beau. The group surrounding her were all caught right in the middle of the wall. They let out pained screams that were all cut short as their forms were completely incinerated.

When the remaining one made to flee, Fjord quickly took advantage of the hasty retreat to easily carve through it. The instant it let out a final death rattle Caleb let the fire around Beau drop to see her slowly coming back to herself. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he stumbled the forward to wrap Beau up in a tight hold that almost caused her to lose balance.

“I thought you were supposed to have a still mind.”

“Fuck off. No one asked you for your opinion.” She gave him a tight squeeze that caused his back to crack. “Someone's getting old.”

“No one asked for your opinion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	142. Prompt 142 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Mighty Nein find an abandoned owl bear cub. Do they keep it?

“No.” Despite his stern tone, Caleb pulled the small cub into his lap and gently pet the feathered head when it nuzzled his chest. “No, we're not keeping it. The last thing we need is another animal that will end up staying in Nicodranas the next time we stop there. Also, that's an owlbear. You can't keep it.”

“It's just a baby.”

“A baby that will turn into an enormous owlbear that will want to eat.”

“Not if we care for it.”

While Fjord groaned in frustration, Caleb answered the owlbear's soft chirp with a kiss to the beak. It blinked at him a few times, then wobbled up to place its front paws on his shoulders. After wobbling dangerous for a moment, it gave a sharp chirp followed by a light nip to his nose. He ran a hand down the silky feathers with a smile in return for the playful nip and left his hands on its side to keep it stable.

“Hello there, little one. You're very friendly.” It cocked its head curiously to the side, then pushed up to nuzzle under his chin. “How long have you been alone?”

“You know, I would have expected this tactic from Jester.”

“What tactic?”

The light press of a hand against his back preceded Fjord reaching a hand out to run along the owlbear's spine. “Trying to make me feel bad for it, so I agree to let you keep it.”

“You do know that I don't need your permission to keep it, correct?”

“Caleb-”

“You are just the sweetest. The others are going to love you. What should your name be?”

“What about Frumpkin?”

“I don't think Frumpkin would appreciate me naming his new friend the same name.”

“That's not what I meant, and you know it.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Fjord. It needs a name, and Frumpkin is already taken.”

“There's no way to talk you out of this, is there?”

After taking a moment to indulge the cub's need for attention, Caleb turned to look at Fjord. “We found its parents dead. It is clearly struggling to survive on its own. We can't just leave it here to fend for itself. It's not old enough.”

“If we take care of it, it's not going to be able to take care of it on its own. You'll domesticate it.”

“Did you know there are different stories about their origin? Some say a wizard crossed a giant owl with a bear to create them. Others claim they are originally from the Feywild that found their way here.”

“Is that your way of saying an owlbear would make a perfect pet for you?”

“We can't leave it. If it ends up domesticated, what does it matter?”

“What if it doesn't?”

“Then we find a good home for it. I know it is a wild animal, but it is still young. It needs help if it is going to survive. We have the resources to care for it.” A little nip against his ear pulled his attention back to the cub in his arm obviously seeking more affection. “Also, it is very cute.”

“It's a little cute.”

“It still needs a name.”

“I'm sure you'll think of something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	143. Prompt 143 - Mighty Nein (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Half of the Nein get caught in a trap that turns them into animals and the other half take care of them until they turn back.

“Hello, Fjord.” He ran a hand along the top of Fjord's head, then smiled when he pushed forward to nuzzle against the side of his face. “Yes, hello. Can I help you or are you just looking for attention?”

After giving Caleb a quick lick on the cheek, he forced himself onto Caleb's lap to curl up with his body pressed to him as much as possible. A small bird landed on his head to nip at a pointed ear, then quickly jumped away. Fjord let out an annoyed growl and tried to bite at Veth before she could get out of his reach. She gave a snarky chirp from her new perch on Caleb's shoulder in an obvious taunt for missing her.

“Be nice.” When Veth made an annoyed noise in his ear, he turned to give her an unimpressed look. “Don't make that noise at me. You are the one that started it. There was no reason to do that.”

“You know she can't understand you, right?”

Before Veth could take advantage of his distraction to annoy Fjord, he gently grabbed her off his shoulder and placed her on the head of the large wolf sleeping next to him. “I'm well aware, Beauregard. Why do you think I have been keeping her away from Caduceus?”

“She wouldn't eat Caduceus.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Mostly.” She flicked her eyes over to beetle sitting on the top of Jester's sketchbook. “Probably a good idea to keep them separated.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Caleb!” The reprimand in Jester's tone put any annoying smirk on Beau's face that he ignored in favor of turning his attention to Jester. “If you keep moving, I won't be able to finish this.”

“I'm sorry. I'll be still now.”

“Thank you.”

To distract himself from being Jester's singular focus, he put all his attention on gently running his fingers along the top of Fjord's skull. With a grunt, he tried to force himself further against Caleb's body, but found himself unable to press himself further than he already was. Big eyes turned to look at him, obviously pleading for Caleb to continue giving him attention. As soon as he began to scratch under his chin, Fjord let his head fall against Caleb's arm with his eyes shut.

His arm was beginning to go numb from a combination of the weight and strange angle when he suddenly found himself no longer with a dog in his lap. Instead, Fjord was awkwardly splayed across his lap on his stomach still looking half asleep. He fully intended to content himself to acting as Fjord's bedroll for a while longer when Veth suddenly appeared to poke him hard in the ribs. Fjord ended up sliding off his lap in a surprised flail that almost ended up hitting Caleb across the face.

“Be careful! You could have crushed him.”

With a sigh, Caleb stretched forward to run a comforting hand through Fjord's hair. “Thank you for the concern, but he was not crushing me. He would have been fine to stay there.”

He leaned down to press a kiss to Fjord's temple as he readjusted himself to pillow his head on Caleb's thigh. After settling down, he flicked Veth the bird, then let his eyes fall shut once again to finish his nap. When he saw Veth beginning to creep closer, Caleb gave her a warning look and offered her a spot on his other side. She took a moment longer to glare at Fjord before moving to flop down and pillow her head on his other leg.

“One of these days, the two of you will find a form that you get along in for longer than five minutes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	144. Prompt 144 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb taking care of a sick Fjord?

“Don't you dare.” Before the door could click shut behind him, a laugh from Beau as she passed by slipped in after him. “I know you didn't forget what I told you before I left.”

“The sheets are all gross.”

“You can be on top of the comforter while you eat. I'll draw you a cool bath, then switch the sheet for you.”

“You don't need to do all that. I can switch them.”

“That would defeat the purpose of having you take a bath.”

“It's not that bad.”

After placing the tray on Fjord's lap, Caleb ran his fingers through his sweaty hair to prove his point. “You were saying.”

“I don't feel that bad.”

“Because you have been resting. If you try to push yourself too hard, that will change. At least wait for the fever to break.”

“Caleb-”

“Fjord, eat your food.”

With a sigh, Fjord picked up the mug to begin sipping at the steaming soup Caleb hoped would be at least a little enjoyable. When he didn't seem completed dejected, he took it as a positive enough sign that he could fill the bath. As soon as he finished, he returned to find Fjord finishing off his roll. Despite claiming to be fine, it was obvious how much energy it took for him to eat his lunch. His eyes struggled to open again each time he blinked, and he barely did more than turn to look at him.

“Are you still feeling up for a bath or would you like a nap?”

“I can do it.”

When Fjord made no move to sit up, a fond smile stretched across his face as he grabbed a spare blanket off the chair he spent most of his day on. After covering him with it, Caleb started to sit back in his chair, only to stop when Fjord hooked a pinky around his.

“Where are you going?”

“I was just going to sit.”

“Right, don't want to get you sick.”

With a smile, he pressed a kiss to Fjord's forehead, then settled onto the mattress next to him. A happy hum rumbled in Fjord's chest as he slid down to get comfortable on the pillows and moved his arm to make space for Caleb. He curled up against his side, then reached across him to grab his hand so he could play with his fingers.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I could get you sick.”

“I have been in here all day. It is a bit late to be worrying about that.”

A warm pair of lips briefly pressed against his forehead, then Fjord completely relaxed. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Taking care of me.”

“You would do the same for me.” He gave Fjord's hand a light squeeze. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. You're the best.”

“You're very sweet. Get some rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	145. Prompt 145 - Yeza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Yeza has some one on one time with different members of the Nein?

**Caduceus**

“Would you like some help?” After waiting for Yeza to give him a nod and a smile of thanks, Caduceus stepped up to the counter next to him. “What would you like me to do?”

“If you could chop those vegetables, that would be a tremendous help.”

“I can do that. How have things been here?”

“Nothing as entertaining as what you all have been getting up to, but good, nonetheless. Luc is getting more and more like his mom each day.”

“He must be quite the handful.”

“A bit.”

He chuckled under his breath as he slid the chopped vegetables on the plate Yeza held out to him. “I have tea that could help.”

“You have tea that could help a rambunctious five-year-old calm down for bed?”

“No, but I have a tea to help an exhausted father get to sleep quickly.”

“I'll take it.”

* * *

**Jester**

“What are you doing?” She poked her head over the top of his to get a better look at the glass vial held in his hands that he nearly dropped. “What is that?”

“It's acid.”

“Oh, you should be more careful with that. That would have been really painful if you spilled it on yourself.”

“Thank you for the advance, Jester.”

“You're welcome!”

After carefully placing it back on a rack with other similar vials, he turned to give her his full attention. “Did you need something?”

“Veth said you were looking for new furniture and I know all the best places to go. I thought we could go together.”

“You do?”

“Of course!”

“I would appreciate the company.”

“Then let's go!”

* * *

**Caleb**

A soft clearing of a throat distracted Caleb from the notebook he'd been in the process of carefully pouring through. When he flicked his eyes up, he was only a little surprised to see Yeza standing curiously at his side. He lifted an eyebrow in question, then waited patiently for whatever he had to say.

“Veth has told me a lot about what all of you have been through together. I have to admit, I'd love to hear about it from the rest of you. If it's not too personal a question, what happened to your arms?”

After a moment of silence, he rolled up his sleeves. “These are from before we all met.”

“Have you always been an adventurer?”

“No. I did not start, until I met all of them.”

“Oh.” Yeza averted his eyes for a moment, then looked at the book on the table. “What are you working on?”

“It's a bit of a mix of the arcane and alchemical. Would you like to take a look? I could use another set of eyes on it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Go right ahead.”

* * *

**Yasha**

“Would you mind if I joined you?”

“Go right ahead.”

She took the empty chair next to him on the patio with her drink held lightly in her hands. “Nice night. I see why you are out here.”

“I just wanted a bit of fresh air."

“It was getting a little stuffy in there.” After finishing off the last of her drink, she set the empty cup on the table between them, then settled back in her chair. “I'm sure they won't mind if we spend a few minutes out here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It's just a few minutes, right?”

“Right.”

* * *

**Fjord**

After carefully placing down the last chair, he took a step back to make sure everything was in the correct spot. He adjusted the table one last time to put it evenly between all the furniture, then turned around. To his surprise, he nearly knocked right into a tray of tea when he tried to take a step forward. His hand quickly shot out to steady one of the cups that threatened to titter off the edge of it.

“Sorry. I thought you might like something to drink.”

“Much appreciated.” He took one of the cups off the tray, then motioned to the room. “Was this what you were hoping for? I can rearrange or readjust them.”

“No, this is perfect. Thank you.”

“What are friends for?”

* * *

**Beau**

“Hey, man.”

“Oh, Beau! I didn't hear you come in.”

“I can see why.” She looked at the collection of books spread across his table and the journal full of sprawling notes. “Working on something new?”

“I had an idea the other day that I couldn't get out of my head, but I haven't been able to find what I need to make it work.”

“Have you tried looking at it from a different angle? Or just tried the obvious. Sometimes things aren't as complicated as we try to make them.”

Yeza let out a tried sigh, then pushed the book closest to him away. “I think so. Maybe, I just need a break.”

“How does a drink sound? I'll pay for the first round.”

“That sounds great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	146. Prompt 146 - Caduceus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you want an angsty prompt, What if a Trent cursed Caleb at the Dinner? Just straight up Feebleminded him and /tried/ to just kidnap him? I feel like Caduceus would get a lot of angry, as a treat.

“Now, that wasn't very polite of you.” After precisely folding his napkin, he straightened in his chair. “I think we can all agree that our acceptance of your dinner invitation, despite the harm you have done in the past, was a show of common courtesy. Using this as an opportunity to take advantage of that shows your true intentions of the evening. Clearly, you had no interest in putting in the same effort.”

For a brief moment, he flicked his eyes over to where Fjord stood protectively between Caleb and the rest of the room. From the folds in the front of his coat, it was obvious Caleb had a tight grip on the back of it. With him tucked safely away and the others seemingly waiting for someone to make the next move, he rose from his chair. Trent's eyes tracked his every movement with such scrutiny that probably caused most to back down in deference to him.

“I think we are done here, unless there was another point you wanted to attempt to make. This one obviously did not go as you had planned. It is best we end things here before they get out of hand.”

“Is that a threat?”

“We have a, uh, made ourselves a family of sorts. I'm sure you now understand just how unkindly we take to one of our own being hurt.” When Trent began to open his mouth to speak, he lifted a hand to wave his words away. “Quite a few of us came here tonight expecting something like this to happen. We came anyway because Mr. Caleb asked us to. We are here to support him and protect him as he has with all of us in the past. If you expected this to be easy, I'm afraid you misjudged what you were getting into.”

“I could have all of you arrested for crimes against the Empire. Do you think I don't know what all of you have been up to?”

“Go right ahead. I'm sure there's no reason you haven't done so already.” The silence that followed extended so long it became clear Trent was debating how best to proceed now that his bluff had been called. “Mr. Fjord, would you like to escort Mr. Caleb out? I don't see any reason for him to be here longer than necessary. The rest of us will be right behind you. We are done here after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	147. Prompt 147 - Wildbrothers (Widofjord)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A long while ago, someone sent in an ask about Caduceus thinking Caleb was a cat that was changed into a person, would you mind writing a little blerp about that? Because honestly that’s cute and the mental image of Fjord trying to figure out Caduceus’s reasoning is amazing

“Run that by me one more time.” While he was fairly certain he heard Caduceus correctly, the combination of words seemed too outrageous to be correct. “I promise I was listening. I just... One more time.”

“Caleb used to be a cat.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“No. Do you not see it?”

“I can't say that I do. Is there a particular reason you reached that conclusion?”

“He loves cats.”

“Lots of people love cats. I mean, I've never met someone that loves cats as much as Caleb, but I don't see how that translates to him previously being a cat.”

“He has cat-based spells that I have never seen anyone else use. His familiar is a cat. He drinks catnip tea.”

“He drinks catnip tea?”

“I've made him some every night this week.”

After taking a moment to process, he fought the urge to rub at his temples. “Is there any other reason you have for believing Caleb used to be a cat?”

“His sleeping habits. I found him curled up by the fireplace in the middle of the day yesterday.”

“I'm pretty sure that's just because of his insomnia.”

“Do you think he would tell you? The two of you are very close.”

“You want me to ask Caleb if he used to be a cat?”

“It is the only way to know for certain.”

“I'll ask.”

“That's very kind of you. Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Duceus. I'll go do it right now.”

With his thoughts still reeling, he headed down from the roof of the house to the library where he knew Caleb would be holed up. He expected to find him in the middle of one of the heavy tomes he brought back from Essek's the previous night. Instead, he found him curled up in one of the plush armchairs with Frumpkin on his lap and a blanket swamping him. Pressing a kiss to the top of his head caused him to stir for a moment, then blinked sleepy blue eyes open.

“Hello there.”

“Hello, sorry for interrupting your nap.”

“It's okay.” A hand reached out of the blanket to scratch at the back of Fjord's head. “Did you need something?”

“Nothing pressing.”

“But you do need something.”

“Caduceus asked me to ask you a question.”

The low hum that rumbled out of Caleb's chest had a hint of humor to it. “Did he now?”

“It sounds like you know what he asked me.”

“Maybe.”

“Don't make me ask.”

“I'm not.” The fingers cradling the back of his head gave playful scratch. “Caduceus is.”

“Were you a cat before becoming a real boy?”

“As much as I wish I could say yes, that is not the case.”

“Why do you drink catnip tea?”

Soft laughter slipped from Caleb's lips that Fjord couldn't resist smiling in response to. “Caduceus told you about that?”

“It was on his list of reasons you were definitely a cat in the past.”

“It's a pain reliever. You should try it sometime, especially when your scar is hurting you. It will help.”

“Duly noted.”

“It also gets Frumpkin high as shit. I'll show you next time Caduceus makes it.”

“There it is.” With a fond roll of his eyes, he leaned down to press a quick kiss to Caleb's forehead. “Thank you for the answer. I'll let you get back to your nap. I've got to go ruin the illusion for Cad.”

“You're welcome to join me when you're done. I'll be in my room.”

“I will absolutely meet you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	148. Prompt 148 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caleb has to Dress up like a Prince for the peace talks for some dumb reason, and Fjord dresses up as his loyal Knight- cue Fjord wanting Caleb to always dress like this- because the cape is like a weighted blanket so he has one happy wizard boi

Even the frustration of a long day of peace negotiations with no agreements reached and no end in sight, couldn't stop the warmth that encompassed him whenever he looked at Caleb. Despite his initial hesitance to represent the Empire in such an official capacity, no one could possibly doubt that he belonged there. He easily kept up with all others at the table and put forward many suggestions that caught their attention. Out of all of them, he came closest to getting them to agree on something.

Negotiating abilities aside, the thing that caught Fjord's attention the most throughout the day was how relaxed he looked. The usual weight he carried on his shoulders seemed to be nonexistent as he sat perfectly straight in his chair. He looked so relaxed there were several moments Fjord worried he would fall asleep in the middle of his sentence. Luckily, he never had to find a reason to subtly shake him awake from his position stationed behind him.

When the conversation finally drew to a close for the day, Fjord stepped forward to help Caleb out of his chair. With the heavy mantle draped around him, it only took a light breeze to knock him off balance. He gave Fjord a grateful smile and kept his arm laced through his as they made their way out of the room. On the short walk to their designated set of chambers, his head slowly drifted sideways to rest on Fjord's shoulder. As Fjord opened the door to the communal area, he kept it pillowed there despite the immediate onslaught of questions.

“How about we don't all ask questions at once and we wait for Beau to get back? I'm sure whatever she's talking to Dairon about is more interesting than what we could tell you.”

“Today was rather boring.” While he expected Caleb to collapse on a chair, his path led them to the loveseat that allowed the both of them to take a seat. “There's still plenty of arguing left to be done. I think it will be at least a few day until we have anything definitive to share.”

“You almost got them to agree.”

“That is still surprising to me. It gave me a few ideas I could suggest if they continue to butt heads.”

“It shouldn't. You were in your element in there. I've never seen you so relaxed. I'm starting to think you should wear this all the time.”

“It's a bit much.”

Fjord tugged playfully on the fur collar, then dropped his hand before Caleb could bat him away. “But you like it.”

“It is comfortable. However, I wouldn't consider it practical for what we normally get up to.”

“I'm sure we could get some created that are different weights. We'll be here for at least a few weeks. It couldn't hurt to check.”

“Fjord, that's-”

“A great idea? Thank you.” He shifted his gaze from Caleb to Jester and Caduceus. “What do you think? Is that something you could add to the list?”

An excited smile lit up Jester's face as she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag. “Of course, we can! I have so many ideas. How many are you thinking? Seven? What weights? Oh, we could get some super soft ones that you can wear to bed.”

“Whatever you think is best, Jessie. I'll foot the bill.” In anticipation of Caleb arguing with him, he quickly turned to sneak in a kiss that distracted him. “Love you. Accept my love.”

“Buying me things is not love.”

“No, but they'll make you happy and relaxed, which I love.”

“It's your money. I can't tell you how to spend it.”

“Is that a yes?”

A tired sigh fell from Caleb's lips as he reached up a hand to rest on Fjord's cheek, then let his thumb gently sweep across his skin. “I love you, too. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	149. Prompt 149 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Prompt- Caleb has major magical fatigue and doesn’t tell the others because they’re running from something major and he needed to stall the danger long enough for him to teleport them all out of the danger. He ends up passing out once they get to safety, cue everyone freaking out

While Caleb's was normally on the pale side, the complete draining of all color from his face before he collapsed sent his heart plummeting as all he could do was watch. The only one close enough to grab him was an already struggling to stay on her feet Beau that hit the ground with him in an attempt to catch him. Before the others could even move, he hurried over to drop to his knees next to them. Fear shot through him at the sight of blood trickling out his nose in a steady stream that dripped down his face. 

With the last bit of magic left, he pressed his hand against his chest to heal whatever he possibly could. When nothing about him appeared to change, Fjord carefully wiped away the blood on his face and lifted him off Beau. He didn't even have time to ask someone for help when a hand reached out to touch his forehead. As it pulled away, some of the color returned to his face and his body shifted the tiniest bit.

“Should we heal him more?” The uncertainty in Jester's voice immediately rocketed up his own concern as he looked up to see the expression on the others' faces. “Is it something we can heal? What even happened?”

“I don't think so. He pushed himself to get us here. Rest is what he needs. We should move him somewhere more comfortable.”

“His room or somewhere all of us can be?”

“There's enough space in the library to fit a few mattresses. We can put him on the couch in there while we get cleaned up and bring down what we need.”

“We should clean him up too.”

“If someone can get me some water and a rag, I can do that.” Before anyone could argue against him being the one to do it, Fjord stood with Caleb in his arms and began making his way to the library. “I'll be in his room.”

The entire walk through the house to Caleb's room he remained concerningly still in his arms. His chest rhythmically rising and falling was the only sign that he was still alive despite the unnatural stillness. He was so used to seeing Caleb full of life and fiery arcane energy that he wanted nothing more than to see some other sign. Despite looking for it, he was nothing more than a puppet that Fjord had to maneuver around to rid him of his bloody clothes.

In the process of digging out something comfortable for him to wear, the door to his room opened. Veth immediately set about carefully cleaning off the blood caked on his chest, then waited patiently for Fjord to lean him forward. After she gently wiped down his back, she helped Fjord pull his shirt on without causing the few wounds left to reopen. While he expected her to help him with the pants as well, she grabbed the bowl of bloody water instead and started making her way out of the room.

“You should put one of his cardigans on him. He should be comfortable when he wakes up.”

“I will.”

“They brought down the mattresses. Get him comfortable, then go take a bath. You're still covered in blood.”

“Yeah.”

“It's disgusting. You'll ruin his clothes.”

“I won't.”

“Good. Hurry up.”


	150. Prompt 150 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: When it’s cold the Party huddles up with Caduceus and Caleb- Caduceus to keep him warm, and Caleb because he just radiates heat from all the fire magic inside him. Caduceus loves it, Caleb hates it because everyone else is warm and he just wants to relax in the cold.

“If you don't get off me right now, I'm going to fling you into a snowbank.”

“It's cold.”

With a frustrated sigh, he closed the book to give Beau his full attention. “It is not that cold. If anything, I would consider it pleasant weather, which I would like to enjoy.”

“I don't see what's stopping you.”

“You are.”

“I'm just taking a little of your warmth. What's so wrong with that?”

“It's hot. Why don't you join the others if you want to warm up?”

“And leave you by yourself?” Rather than leave like he asked, she shuffled even closer to him and pillowed her head on his shoulder. “We don't want you to get lonely.”

“I am not lonely. All of you are right here. Why would I suddenly be lonely if you move five feet away from me?”

“Why won't you move five feet to join the rest of us?”

“I want to enjoy the weather, but I can't do that with all that body heat.”

“Why don't you want to spend time with us?”

“That is not what I said.”

A mischievous grin stretched across Beau's face as she straightened up from her spot against him. “Hey, Fjord! I think Caleb's getting a cold. What are you doing over there?”

Before Fjord could say a word, Caleb flicked his hand to send Beau flying into the nearest pile of snow. When her head poked up, a pile of snow sat on top of it that went flying when she gave it a quick shake. A white blur suddenly went flying from her direction that he barely managed to pop a shield up in time to avoid. Instead of throwing another, she flipped him the bird as she stood up.

“I warned you.”

“It's not my fault you're the warmest one. It's like having a personal heater.”

“Everyone else can warm you up. I want to enjoy the weather.”

“I thought we were supposed to be partners.”

He glared at the fake hurt lacing her words. “I'll turn your room into a tundra the next time we use the tower.”

“I'll just stay with Yasha.”

“Will you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You don't know.”

Between one blink and the next, a body slammed into his so hard he fell backwards and hit his head. He let out a groan of pain from the impact but didn't do anything to force the weight off his body. He simply blinked a few times to clear his vision of the dots spotting it, then stared up at the sky for a few moments.

“You are the worst.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Are you proud of yourself?” He poked Beau in the side, which achieved absolutely nothing. “You got what you wanted. Can you get off me now?”

“Nah, I think I'm good. This is way more comfortable.”

“Speak for yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	151. Prompt 151 - Brjeaus (Widofjord/Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Widofjord prompt: Fjord and Caleb harass Beau by rubbing their chins on Beau whenever they can (like Fjord did back in ep90) Mostly just to annoy her. Started off with Fjord growing his beard and Caleb doing it to bother her. Now the two do it to annoy her in general.

The pile of books between the two of them was so great that he could see a few in danger of tipping over. Before that could happen, he quickly rearranged the stacks to more reasonable sizes that wouldn't end with one of them getting a concussion. The entire time neither of them even bothered to look up from their work on whatever they were in the middle of researching. Even a quick glance told him there was no point trying to decipher their notes. All of them were in languages he didn't understand or included intricate arcane diagrams he had no hopes of deciphering.

After taking a moment to consider the best course of action, he moved behind Caleb to press a kiss to his cheek. When the first did nothing to pull him away from his work, he pressed a second closer to his lips and placed his hands on his biceps to give a light squeeze. A soft hum gave him pause as Caleb finished up his sentence, then turned his head to exchange a quick kiss.

“Can I help you?”

“You've been in here all day. Both of you. It's time to come out for a few hours. Stretch your legs, eat dinner, rest your brilliant minds.”

“We are almost done.”

“I've heard that before. What is almost done this time? A few hours? Half a day?”

With a sigh, Caleb looked down at his book, then at the other ones still waiting for them. “Almost done might be a stretch.”

“That's what I thought. Break time it is. You can come back to it in a few hours.”

“Good luck convincing Beauregard. Most of this is hers.”

“Which means it's both of yours because it always is.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” In the middle of rolling his eyes, Caleb placed a hand on his jaw that turned his head just the way he wanted for a slow kiss. “How do you plan on convincing Beauregard out of here?”

Rather than tell his plan, he moved to the opposite side of the table to stand behind Beau's left shoulder. On the next page turn, he leaned down to firmly rub his jaw along the side of her face a few times. A hand quickly swung up to pop Fjord right in the nose before he had time to pull away, then Beau turned a glare to him.

“Would the two of you stop doing that! I don't want beard burn on my face.”

“Why? It won't make a difference.”

“Dick.” She shoved at Fjord's face to prevent him from doing it a second time. “Next time one of you does that, I'll really pop you in the nose.”

“Whatever you say.”

“I'll shave you both in the night, then we'll see how your little trick works.”

“You think you can come into our room in the middle of the night and shave both of us before someone wakes up? Even if you do that the first time, how do you plan on keeping that up?”

“I'll have Yasha help.”

“Yasha shaves Caleb.”

A crumpled-up piece of paper hit him square on the nose causing Beau to let out a cackling laugh. “It won't even be a problem if you're stuck sleeping on the couch.”

“Very funny. I come in here to make sure the two of you are still alive and this is the thanks I get?”

“Don't rub your nasty beard on my face and I'll actually thank you next time.”

“It's not nasty. Caleb likes it.”

“Does he?” Beau snapped her book shut to emphasize her point as she pushed away from the table. “I'm going to get a snack before dinner. Don't ruin any of my notes or the books.”

“You like my beard, right?”

A chuckle from Caleb filled the library on his way over to cup Fjord's jaw in his hands with a smile. “I love it very much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	152. Prompt 152 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: For a prompt- Pirate Fjord finding a magical surprise in a lead box on a fancy Empire ship? The surprise being Caleb, who is 100% all for joining this because Fjord deffo isn’t empire based.

“It looks like we found something interesting.” The click of Beau's boot against the deck caused some of their captives to instinctively flinch. “You should go check it out. I can keep an eye on them.”

“That interesting?”

“You'll see.”

After double checking the bonds on everyone, he headed below deck to see for himself what was so interesting. His eyes immediately landed on a large lead box with arcane runes covering seemingly every inch chained to the far wall. While he wasn't trained in arcana, he knew better than go poking when he didn't know exactly what it would do. As he contemplated the best course of action, a sudden thump from the box sent all other thoughts out the window.

On the next thump, he crossed the room to get a better look at the curious box. Despite what he assumed to be warding the box the chains holding it in place were nothing out of the ordinary. A few hits with the Star Razor were all it took to break them free of the wall and send them in a clattering pile on the floor. The thumping picked up with a fury that probably should have worried him.

Instead, his mind jumped to the key he took off the wizard the first chance he got. While he assumed the key would be for a stash of expensive components, the box before him seemed like the more likely candidate. After pulling the box away from the wall, he couldn't resist smiling at the lock he found. The key fit perfectly in the lock.

When he reached to lift the lid, it burst open with enough force that it flew off the hinging and struck the staircase. A pair of fiery blue eyes bore into his so intensely that he had to fight the urge to not look away. Despite part of him expecting to be attacked, he didn't move an inch as he waited for what would come next.

“You're not from the Assembly.”

“What?”

The strange glow about them grew slightly brighter as they leaned closer into Fjord's space, which made him acutely aware of their vertical pupils. “You are not from the Assembly.”

“No.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh, is that a trick question?”

“Do you imagine I was getting a lot of information while I was locked in that?”

“No.” With a sigh, the person stepped out of the box gave him a curious look as they poked at his coat. “Are you looking for something?”

“You boarded this vessel to steal their cargo.”

“Among other things.”

“Do you take jobs for money?”

When a hand began to pull back his coat, he caught it in his and moved it away. “I'm a pirate, not a mercenary.”

“But you're not here for me?”

“Should I be?”

“They were taking me to someone.” Despite his hold on their hand, their fist clench and anger flared in their eyes. “Trent had his fun with his little experiments but wanted to get something more out of me.”

“They were experimenting on you?”

At the slight twitch of their fingers, he pulled down the sleeve of their coat to find fresh scars covering their forearm. When he ran his finger down their arm, a shiver ran through them that brought him to an immediate halt. They blinked at him a few times, then moved a step closer to him.

“What is your name?”

“Caleb.”

“Have you always had that name or-”

“It is a bit new. I like it better. Does it matter?”

“No.” He motioned at their still exposed forearm. “You said Trent did that to you?”

“Yes, do you know him?”

“Unfortunately. I wouldn't say we've been looking for an excuse to kill him, but we certainly wouldn't pass one up. Is that something you would be interested in?”

“Are you asking me to join you?”

“I'm offering.”

“I don't even know your name.”

“My crew calls me Captain Tusktooth.” He gently brushed a lock of hair out of Caleb's face with a smile. “You can call me Fjord.”

“Fjord... I would very much be interested.”

“Welcome to the crew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	153. Prompt 153 - Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beaujester Evil AU?

“Look who I found sneaking around.” The thud of the body hitting the hard marble floor echoed in the room. “Although, sneaking is a bit of a strong word. If that's what they were trying to do, it was a pretty pathetic attempt.”

After taking a moment to finish her painting, Jester turned in her stool to look at the bound individual. She gave a pleased hum at the dark bruise forming on the side of their face where Beau undoubtedly struck them. Her heels clicked against the floor as she moved to kneel next to them, drawing a fearful look her way. They tried to shuffle away when she reached out to run along the side of their face with a smile.

“It's been so long since we last saw each other. I tried looking for you, but you were blocking me. If you would have told us you were coming, we would have been prepared for you.”

“What should we do with them?”

“That is the question. We do need to know where they took our stuff, but you know I don't need them alive for that.”

“It would be a shame to get blood all over your studio floor.”

“That's true. I am fond of this flooring.”

“It does look very nice.” Beau grabbed them roughly by the ropes to drag them upright on their knees. “I can always take them somewhere more appropriate for getting the information we need. Today has been a little on the boring side. I could use some fun.”

“We're supposed to have dinner soon. You wouldn't want your food to get cold.”

“That's true.”

“It would also be rude to leave them waiting.”

“What to do? What to do?”

With a wave of her hand, a momentary glaze coated their eyes that cleared as she reached forward to undo the gag. “How about we make this easy on everyone? Why don't you tell me what you did with the supplies you stole from us?”

“They're gone.”

“I didn't ask where they are now. I asked what you did with them.”

“I sold them.”

“Now, why would you have done that? I thought we were friends, then you stole from us and you sold it to someone else.”

“We were.” A hiss fell from his lips as Beau gave a sharp tug to the ropes around them. “We were. We were.”

“Were? What happened?”

“You were going to kill me.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I failed you.”

“That is very true. It was a shame that you did that, but it happens to everyone. You could have made it up to us.”

“You would have killed me.”

“No,” Jester placed a hand on their cheek to wipe away the tear that slipped down it. “but now we will. We can't have people thinking they can just steal from us and get away from it. First, we need to know why you came back. Did someone send you here?”

“You would have killed me.”

“Who sent you?”

“The Cobalt Soul.”

“Thank you.” The snap of their neck left them limp in Beau's arms for a moment before she let them fall to the floor. “Who do you think they'll send next?”

“No idea, but we'll be ready for them.”

“Yes, we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	154. Prompt 154 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Prompt, if you it’s okay? Fjord Fretting over an exhausted Caleb After Caleb’s been revived?

After carefully removing Caleb's bloody clothing, he dipped a cloth in warm water to gently clean the blood sticking to his chest. While he could tell Caleb was trying to stay upright, the energy required to do so was long gone. It took Fjord's hand to keep him sitting up long enough for him to clean the blood and grime off his body. Despite the wounds being healed, bright pink patches of skin where the claws dug into and ripped him apart littered his torso.

As soon as he finished cleaning him, Fjord pulled him into a comfortable shirt, cardigan, and sleep pants. When he lifted him off the chair, arms instinctively attempted to wrap around his neck, only to immediately fall limp. He sank into the mound of pillows the instant Fjord set him down and let out a soft sigh when he pulled up the comforter to cover him. Blue eyes blinked sleepily up at him when he began to turn away, then slid shut.

Once he was sure Caleb wouldn't wake right back up, Fjord moved around the room to clean up the mess. His harness and spellbook were hung on their designated hook next to the door while the coat pockets were emptied, and all items placed next to his component bag on the small desk shoved in the corner of the room. All the bloodied and torn clothes were balled up and the blood water and rag grabbed to be disposed of. On the short trip, he passed a couple of the others but didn't bother saying a word so he could get back to Caleb as quickly as possible.

When he made it back to the room, he locked the door behind him and took a moment to simply breath. The moment of forced calm put his thoughts back on track. He quickly removed his armor and everything else on his person, then pulled on the spare change of clothes he kept in Caleb's unused bottom dresser drawer. After one last check to make sure he was relatively clean, Fjord headed over to the bed.

With Caleb fast asleep in the middle, his options were to squeeze in or try to move him. While he was tempted to squeeze, the rude awakening he would have if Fjord fell off made up his mind. Despite lifting him slowly, Caleb blinked awake before he could do more than raise him off the bed. Caleb did nothing more than watch Fjord as he carefully shifted him to the far side of the bed and slipped in next to him. While he expected him to go right back to sleep, he slowly rolled over to cuddle against the side of Fjord's chest. While it was difficult to do it without disturbing him, Fjord managed to get his arm out from under him and wrap it around his waist.

“Thank you, Fjord.”

“There's no need to thank me. Just get some rest.”

“Ja, okay.”

“I'll be here when you wake up.”

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	155. Prompt 155 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: widofjord teen wolf follow up prompt: Now that Caleb is in the pack things are going great! Fjord didn't think much of anything when Jester asked for pack cuddle time, she usually wants pack cuddle time. What he didn't notice was the knowing smirk she'd gotten from Beau. He also didn't know how to, or if he even wanted to, argue against having the new pack member cuddle up to him because "he needs to bond with our alpha doesn't he?" Beau was going to be the death of him someday he just knew it.

“He needs to bond with our alpha, doesn't he?” The look shared between Beau and Jester clicked the pieces into place. “It's important for the pack dynamic or whatever. You don't want to hurt his feelings by making him think he's not welcome, do you?”

“The two of you-”

While he wasn't sure how he planned to end that sentence, the sound of the door to the house opening brought him to an immediate halt. The others, including their newest member, filed into the house. As per usual, they all got right to creating the perfect space for them to spend the evening piled together watching movies and playing games. The others had the space finished before he returned with the snacks that had been slowly accumulating in the pantry over the last week. Unsurprisingly, the only available spot would put him squished up against Caleb. 

The other shifted slightly into Beau's space to give him room to sit down, then was immediately knocked back. While she made it look like it was unintentional, Fjord caught the little smirk on her face as she kept up her conversation with Jester. Rather than call her on it, he did his best to make himself smaller so Caleb would have more room. Despite the effort, Caleb ended up reclined back against his chest with his knees drawn up to rest his Switch on top of. When it became clear the only option available to him was going along with it, he let his body relax into the cushions and placed his chin on Caleb's shoulder to watch him play.

“What is this?”

“Stardew Valley. It's very relaxing. Yasha and I have been playing together.”

He hummed under his breath as the character on the screen plucked something out of the ground. “How does this not put you to sleep?”

“If I were watching someone play it instead of playing it myself, I would probably fall asleep. Although, it is a little early for that.”

“Not my fault.” The soft chuckle that slipped from Caleb's lips caused his head to bounce on his shoulder. “What is Yasha doing?”

“She is in the mines getting the ore we need to upgrade our tools. She is much better at combat than I am.”

“That sounds much less sleep inducing.”

“Wait until you see me fish, then you'll be sorry you said that. It's as thrilling as fishing in real life.”

For the next hour, they fell into comfortable silence with Caleb playing and Fjord watching on. At some point, his arm ended up hooked around Caleb's waist, and Caleb shifted into his lap and slid down so Fjord's head ended up resting on top of his. It was so comfortable that he could almost forget about the others in the room around them-if it weren't for the chatter he probably would have.

“Do you want to try?”

“What?”

The head beneath his chin shifted so Caleb could look up at him for a brief moment with a little smile. “Would you like to try?”

“I'm good for now. Maybe, I'll pick it up for myself and we can play the next time you come over.”

“Ja, we could do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	156. Prompt 156 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Pre-relashionship Fjord carrying and injured Caleb away from danger? Fjord being all protective and soft and Caleb catching some serious feelings?

As the world suddenly shifted around him, a burst of pain in his leg nearly sent him to his knees as they buckled in response. The man towering over him grinned at his stumbling to stay on feet put him in the perfect position for another strike. He quickly threw up a shield to deflect the blow, but it was still enough impact to cause him to stagger backwards. When his right foot planted, the pain increased in intensity to the point his vision blurred, and bile rose to his throat.

Despite expecting to take another hit because of the distraction, all weight was suddenly removed from his leg as he was lifted into the air. The confusion cleared with his vision as Fjord's face came into view above him. He hooked an arm around Fjord's neck to help stabilize himself, only for Fjord to adjust his hold to better cradle him against his chest in response. 

“Fjord, you can put me down.”

“Your leg is busted. Until we get you to a healer or somewhere you can stay off it, that's not going to happen.”

“It isn't that bad.”

“You can hardly walk.” The arm wrapped around his leg adjusted to better hold him without causing him additional pain. “The others can handle the rest of them. There's no need to risk it. How does your leg feel?"

“It is better now.”

“But you can't put weight on it?”

“It did not feel great the last time I did.”

“I don't have much healing left.” A warmth ran through his leg that helped ease some of the throbbing pain. “Did that help?”

“A little. It is more bearable.”

“Caduceus will be able to do a better job than I can. Just hold on a little longer.”

Movement out of the corner of his eye gave him barely enough time to give Fjord a vague warning of incoming danger. The realization that Fjord's hands were full didn't register, until it was too late to reach for his components. An unexpected kick to their incoming attacker's knees stalled them long enough for Fjord to turn them, so he could send three eldritch blasts into them. When their body hit the ground, Fjord quickly looked around them for any sign of others coming for them.

“Did I hurt you?”

After taking a moment to register Fjord's words, he shook his head no and pulled himself as close as he could to him. “Thank you.”

“Are you sure? I-” Fjord quickly looked around them for a moment, then diverted their path to a small alcove that he carefully lowered them into. “It might be best to wait this out here. Just in case there are any other stragglers.”

“You should go help the others.”

“That's not happening.”

When he opened his mouth to argue, Fjord shifted his attention to digging through the bag of holding. His hand came out with a healer's kit that he placed on the ground next to Caleb's injured leg. Before ripping his pant leg to see the wound, Fjord's eyes flicked up to him to get permission first. Fingers gently prodded around the wound for a moment, then Fjord reached for something in the kit.

Rather than continuing to watch, he tipped his head back to stare at the stone above his head so he wouldn't see it coming. A hand slid into his that he gripped tightly as the familiar burn of disinfectant coming into contact with his open wound hit him. He did his best to breathe through the pain, but a few small whimpers slipped out when it became too much to handle. The relief when Fjord finished cleaning it slowly washed over him as he took several deep breaths.

It wasn't until Fjord squeezed his fingers that he realized he hadn't loosened his grip on his hand in the slightest. “How are you feeling?”

“I could be better.”

“The others will be here soon. Hang on a little longer.”

“I can do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	157. Prompt 157 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How about a twist on Orcish Rage? While the rage an orc gets when their clan is in danger is vast, it doesn’t just go away so easily. Even if the clan/mate/whatever is fine and up and about, Orc rage can not calm down until serveral hours have passed, in case hidden dangers are around. Orc rage isn’t like Barbarian rage ether, it’s easy to hide because it’s an advantage meant to keep the clan safe. So What if Fjord was helping Caleb clean up some, like cleaning his face or something because his arms fucked up and no one has any healing, and everything’s all calm and Caleb’s a bit sleepy, and then he hears a loud crack and there’s a dead scrounger on the floor with two higher then normal elderlich blasts through them, and a clearly pleased with his work Fjord?

Despite trying his best to keep his eyes open, the exhaustion of a long day of travel and hard fight combined to make it nearly impossible. It didn't help that Fjord had settled him down as comfortably as he possibly could with his arm sore from being set. While he relaxed back in the plush chair, Fjord cleaned the dried blood out of his hair and off his face. Any attempt to help Fjord, ended with the other gently pushing him back in the chair.

With nothing else to do, the next time his eyes fell shut he let sleep begin to drag him into their arms. He knew once Fjord finished cleaning him up he would get him safely tucked away in bed for the evening. It wasn't like he could get any transcribing or casting done with his arm still swollen and throbbing. A full night's rest and he'd be able to get healing in the morning.

Just on the cusp of sleep, three loud cracks filled the air followed by the heavy thud of something hitting the floor. Upon forcing his eyes open, he found himself looking at a dead body on the floor of his room. Their chest looked dented in from the force of the eldritch blasts perfectly hitting their mark in nearly the same spot all three times.

“Someone needs to clean that up.”

A pleased hum rumbled out of Fjord's chest as he rose from the stool to inspect the dead body. “Looks like Trent thought it would be a smart idea to send someone after you.”

“It is a good thing you were here.”

The smile Fjord sent him left as soon as he turned back to the body that he grabbed roughly by the ankle. He left the door to Caleb's room open on his way through the library with the body dragged along behind him. After yelling something to the others, he returned to Caleb's room and shut the door softly behind him.

“How is your arm feeling? I can change you into something more comfortable, but I don't want to make it worse.”

“I can handle it.”

After a moment of hesitation, hands slowly helped him maneuver his uninjured arm out of his shirt, then carefully slid it off the injured one. While his concentration was focused on keep Caleb as still as possible, every so often he would turn to check over his shoulder. It wasn't until he was halfway through helping him into one of Fjord's shirts that the pieces finally clicked into place in his tired mind.

“Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?”

Rather than answer right away, Fjord finished helping him into the shirt, then carefully pulled on a cardigan to keep him warm. “Don't worry about me. I'll get the sleep I need.”

“You're on edge.”

“It'll probably just last a few more hours. I promise I'll get sleep.”

“You better.”

“I will.” On his way up, Fjord curved his body to avoid touching his arm when he leaned down for a kiss. “Can you stand up for me? I'll be right back with your sleep pants, then we'll get you to bed.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

“You know I'll be here for you. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	158. Prompt 158 - Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cute fluffy BeauJester?

“You have to stay still!” While she sounded exasperated, Beau could hear the amusement coloring her words. “It's not going to look right if you keep moving.”

“I'm trying, but it's been so long, Jessie. I need to stretch my legs.”

“I'm almost done. Just five more minutes.”

“That's what you said ten minutes ago.”

“But I mean it this time.”

With a fond sigh, she cracked her neck, then got back in the same position she'd been in for nearly an hour. As soon as she got settled, Jester immediately went back to sketching in her notebook in a way that made it impossible for Beau to see. What ending up being much longer than five minutes later, the charcoal was set aside so Jester could hold up the sketchbook. When she gave a satisfied hum, Beau finally let her body completely relax.

“Do you want to see it?”

“Am I allowed?”

“Of course, silly.” Jester excitedly hoped to her feet, then dropped next to Beau with the sketchbook held out to her. “What do you think?”

“It's amazing.”

While she'd seen plenty of Jester's sketches, most of them were just a face or a silly doodle of some moment from their travels. This one not only included intricate details like the folds of her clothing and the rings on her fingers, but also included an entire scene around her. The shadow of her from the sun, the trees swaying in the background, people making their way along the beach.

“Do you want it?”

“No. I mean,” She rushed to clarify before Jester could get the wrong idea. “I wouldn't want to ruin it. Won't it be safer in your journal?”

“I can always draw you another one, Beau.”

“But there's only one of these. If it gets ruined, there won't be another. Plus, I'll still be able to see it as long as you have it.”

“Beau, you're being ridiculous!”

“Because I always want to be able to see it?”

Before she could brace for the impact, Jester slammed into her for a tight hug that sent them both to the sand. She peppered kisses across her face at such a rapid speed that Beau could hardly keep up with her. When she finally stopped, she didn't bother to get up from her spot on top of Beau. Instead, she shuffled to get more comfortable and pillowed her head on Beau's shoulder with a soft sigh.

“One day, we'll have a house where we can hang it up, then you'll be able to see it whenever you want.”

“You should do one for everyone.”

“Who would do me?”

“Uh, I could try, but I don't think it would turn out... I mostly draw sigils and runes.”

“I was joking, Beau.”

“But we'll need one of you and the whole group. We're going to need a lot of frames.”

A laugh pressed into the side of her throat and Jester's tail wrapped around her leg for a quick squeeze. “We'll have plenty of time to figure that out later.”

“It doesn't hurt to think ahead.”

“No, it doesn't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	159. Prompt 159 - Fjord (Mighty Nein)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: It would be interesting to see how Fjords Orc Instincts would act up around the different members of the Nein. Like around Caleb it's more of a "Mine, Partner/Mate" but maybe like with Cad its more "Brother, Healer". Each of the Nein gets a slightly different protective orc instinct. Cause they are all part of his family

**Caleb**

“Touch him one more time and we're going to have an issue.”

The man sneered at him in distaste as he looked him up and down, then sipped casually at his drink. “I don't believe you were invited to this conversation. Why don't you bother someone else?”

“Invited or not, the statement stands. Don't touch him again.”

“Or what? They took weapons at the door. I don't imagine an adventurer like you is much without them.”

“Even if that were true, we have plenty of friends in high places that would be more than happy to make your life a living hell.”

“A theat. How very original.”

“How is this for original? If-”

“Fjord,” A hand calmly pressed against the center of his chest as Caleb leaned into his side with all of his weight. “we are supposed to meet the others. There is nothing more that needs to be said here.”

“Right. We should do that.”

“Ja, we should. It was a pleasure speaking with you.”

Before the man could say anything else, Caleb looped their arms together to encourage Fjord to the nearest exit. While the chilly winter air easily penetrated their lavish attire, he much preferred it to the stuffy interior. Rather than stay near the doors, they headed into the garden until they were well secluded from any partygoers that might be in search of a bit of fresh air. When Caleb let his arm slip from his to better face him, he stepped forward to wrap his arms around his waist and block him from the slight breeze. A hand reached up to brush away a stray lock of hair from Fjord forehead, then came to settle on the side of his neck.

“That could have been done a little more tactfully, but I appreciate you doing that.”

“I'm sorry. I saw the way he touched you, and I... I should have come up with an excuse to get you out of there instead of engaging with him.”

“Thank you for the concern.” To press a fleeting kiss to his cheek, Caleb pushed onto the tips of his toes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

**Caduceus**

Before the creature could reach Caduceus, he stepped in its path and brought his sword through the air in a wide arc. It let out a pained shriek that echoed off the cavern walls as it shrank back from the blow. While it didn't go down, he could see blood freely flowing from the wound to puddle on the rocky ground beneath it. With his second swing, the Star Razor tore through the muscle of its swollen shoulder, but still wasn't enough to bring it down.

Claws tore through one side of his armor and the other before grinding harmlessly off his chest plate. It loudly shrieked in his face, then began to prepare itself for another round of attacks on him. He took his opening to slice the sword up across its chest and pumped a blast of divine magic through the strike. The body of the creature went completely limp and collapsed to the floor in a heap of limbs.

With the final threat taken care of, he made his way over to where Caduceus leaned heavily on his staff. Before the other could say a word, Fjord's hand settled on his shoulder to heal him with what little magic he had left. Caduceus gave him a smile of thanks in return, then straightened up.

“We should get moving. It's starting to get late.”

“Any idea which direction to go?”

After taking a moment to inspect their surroundings, Caduceus pointed at one of the tunnels leading out of the cavern. “That seems like the best option.”

“I'll follow your lead.”

* * *

**Beau**

Before Beau could walk away, he placed a hand on her shoulder and waited for her response to it. When she didn't shrug him away, he pulled her into a tight hug that she melted into as she brought her hands up to clutch at his back. For a few minutes, he stayed perfectly still with Beau wrapped in his arms. He waited for her to pull away to loosen his hold on her but didn't completely drop it.

“Want to talk about it?”

“What is there to say? He's a fucking dick.”

“Want me to kill him?”

She snorted a laugh as she took a step back to break free of him. “He's not worth the effort.”

“Are you sure? It would be easy. Almost too easy, really.”

“I'm sure, but thanks for the offer.”

“Of course, you know I'm always here for you.”

“Yeah, man. Thanks.”

“What if we see him again and we're alone in a room and there's no way someone could find the body?” He tossed an arm across Beau's shoulder to keep her tucked against his side as they walked. “Caleb can do those vaults, and you bought that access to that teleportation circle in Uthodurn. It doesn't take that long to get to Cinderrest Sanctum. We could just drop the amber right in. No one would know!”

“Wow, have you had that planned?”

He gave a little sniff and shrug of his shoulders. “Why would I have that planned? It just seems like an obvious choice if you want to get rid of a body.”

“How many bodies are you planning on getting rid of?”

“As many as I need. No big deal or anything. So, if you wanted to, it's an option.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

* * *

**Yasha**

“Let me?” Mismatched eyes met his for a moment, then Yasha held out the bandage roll and waited for him to take a seat next to her. “Fair warning, I'm not the best at this.”

“As long as it stays.”

“I can manage that.”

Being careful not to reopen any of her wounds, Fjord slowly wrapped her forearm once, then a second time for good measure. He moved to the other side of her to do the same on her cut up bicep and scrapped elbow. She stayed perfectly still the entire time with no complaints, even when he knew he pulled it too tight. When he set the bandages aside, she turned to give him a thankful smile as she relaxed back in the chair.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Without trying to make it blatantly obvious, his eyes searched for any other sign of wounds that needed tending to. “Can I help with anything else?”

“That was all. It is just a matter of rest now.”

“I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Get some rest, Fjord. We all need it.”

“I'll do my best.”

* * *

**Veth**

“What are you doing up here?”

His hand paused on the way to opening Caleb's door as he turned to look at Veth standing with her arms crossed over her chest. “What?”

“What are you doing up here? Your room isn't on this floor. Caleb needs his sleep.”

“I was just going to check on him. That's it.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What else would I be doing?”

“I've seen the looks and the hand touching.”

“The hand touching?” When Veth narrowed her eyes in an unimpressed glared, he held up his hands. “I get it. You've made your point. All I'm going to do is check on him.”

“Five minutes.”

“Now, that's not fair.”

“He needs rest.”

“Have you ever said no to him?”

She chuckled under her breath for a moment as she let her arms relax to her side. “You're so wrapped around his finger.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all. It means you'll protect him.”

“Of course.”

“Good.” After a moment of staring at him, she started to open the door to her own room, only pause before stepping in. “Thanks for getting me out of there earlier. I'm not sure I could have gotten out of there on my own.”

“I doubt that, but we'll never know.”

She gave him a nod of acknowledgement as stepped backwards into the room, so she was still looking at him. “I'll check on you both in an hour. Make sure he gets plenty of sleep.”

“I will.”

* * *

**Jester**

“Hey, come here.” Before Jester could hide away from him, he pulled her into a tight hug that he wasn't sure she would reciprocate. “Everything is going to be fine. You heard Caleb. He'll get her back, and everything will be fine.”

Hands clutched tightly at the back of his armor as Jester pressed herself against him with her face shoved into his chest. “Did you hear her neck? It just... It was like it didn't even have to try.”

“It's dead now, and we're going to get her back. I'm sure she'll be exhausted when she wakes up, but she will be back. We are going to get her back. “

“She'll need help getting to bed.”

“Probably.”

“I can do that.” Jester pulled away with a jerky nod of her head and shakily wiped at the tears staining her cheeks. “I can clean her off and change her into something more comfortable and get her bed. I can do that.”

“I'm sure she would appreciate that. You know how cranky she gets if she isn't cleaned, clothed and put to bed.”

Watery laughter fell from Jester's lips as she tittered forward into his chest. “She does get a little cranky. Caleb spoils her.”

“Don't let either of them hear you say that. They'll both deny it.”

“But we know it's true.”

“We do.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead, then pulled away with an arm wrapped around her waist to give her support. “Caleb should be almost done now. Want to wait outside the room?”

“Yeah, let's do that. I'm sure Caleb will be tired, too. Spells like that are always tiring. You'll need to help him to bed.”

“Don't say it like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know exactly like what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	160. Prompt 160 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ep 123 spoilers. Beau just got savaged by a dragon, then hit by Lucien's bleeding from the eyes and ears and mouth thing, then hit by a mace. And even before that, got a new tattoo and got acid poured on it. Can we get some Beau comfort? Maybe cleaning off the frozen blood after dragon fight? Or all the frozen blood from Luciens attack. Or just plain old comfort of "whoops you just almost died twice after being cursed"

“Careful.” Before she could jerk away, Caleb gently took hold of her chin to keep her in place. “Sorry.”

“It's cold.”

“Let me.”

He took a moment to use his magic to warm the damp cloth without completely drying it. The next time he brought it up to wipe at the dried and frozen blood trail beneath her nostrils it easily came away without any flinching. For the rest of the time, Beau stayed perfectly still while he cleaned her face. When he finally set the now pink cloth aside, he took a moment to check for any other sign of blood from what Lucien did to her.

“How does your head feel?”

“It's been better.”

“That is a non-answer, Beauregard.”

“It's not as bad as it was.”

He hummed under his breath at the obvious deflection but didn't try to press her on it a second time. Instead, he took both her hands to check the knuckles that couldn't imagine being anything short of bloody from the cold and punching. Once more, he reached for the cloth to carefully clean the dried blood caked on her skin much thicker than he originally thought. While it took longer than her face, he eventually cleared it all away. Before she could argue, he removed her torn up gloves, then quickly rewrapped her hands with her cut up knuckles covered to protect them. 

“If they keep tearing like that, we should get you better ones. Ones that can hold up to your brand of treatment.”

“It's not that bad.”

“The barrier is meant to protect your knuckles from this. If they're not doing that, you need new ones.”

“Not a lot of places to get new ones around here.”

“No,” He took both her hands in his, then let his hands warm up once again. “but this will do for now. I can always wrap them again. There are more where that came from.”

“Still keep some on you."

“Always.”

Her fingers slid down to tap against the scars on his wrist for a brief moment. “Even though you don't need them anymore?”

“It's not about me needing them.”

“What is it about?”

“That you do.” His hands squeezed hers in what he hoped to be a comforting hold that she returned with a crushing grip. “We'll figure this out. We have to. You have a date to get to.”

“I have a few ideas about that.”

“Oh, really?”

“What? Don't sound so surprised.”

“I'm not surprised that you came up with some ideas. It's just surprising that you've had the time. We've been a bit... busy.”

“That's one way to put it.”

“You should rest.” He began to pull away to set out his bed roll for the evening, only for her to refuse to release his hands. “Do you need something?”

“Stay close?”

“Ja, I can do that.”

When she released his hands, he snapped his fingers to make Frumpkin appear in her lap. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome, Beauregard. You can keep him as long as you need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	161. Prompt 161 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Widofjord: Dinner with the in-laws is always awkward. Dinner with the in-laws when you've been traveling with one of them for a long time facing life or death situations together and know exactly how dangerous each other can be is less awkward. Veth invites the boys over for dinner and Fjord contemplates how despite their usual bickering it is kind of nice having Veth's family as well, HIS family after Caleb said yes and the two got married.

“Watch your head.” As he quickly dipped his head down, Caleb stretched over him to place a heavy platter on the table. “Thank you.”

“Are you sure you don't need help in the kitchen?”

After rolling his eyes, a kiss was pressed to his forehead that earned them an exaggerated gagging noise from Luc. “Yeza and I are perfectly capable of bringing dinner out on our own. We don't require your muscles, but thank you for the offer.”

“I can help.”

“That is correct. You are able to help, but we don't need it.” Another kiss was dropped on his forehead, then Caleb straightened up. “Stay here.”

As soon as Caleb disappeared from sight, something smacked the side of his face hard enough to sting. While he expected it to be a stray shot from Luc, he wasn't at all surprised to see Veth lowering her hand. Rather than retaliate by throwing it back at her, he quickly checked over his shoulder, then turned to glare at him.

“What was that for?”

“None of that in this house.”

“I didn't do anything!”

“You made the face.”

“What face?”

After rolling her eyes, Veth pulled an exaggerated face that almost caused him to cringe from the awkwardness of it. “Exactly, so stop doing that in my house.”

“I did not make that face. He just kissed me because that's something we do, which you know. You were at our wedding.”

“Your wedding was not at my home.”

“I-”

The door to the kitchen swinging open stopped him before he could say anything that might embarrass him. For a second time, Caleb leaned over him to place two more bowls on the table, then returned to the kitchen. Before their argument could pick up again, both Caleb and Yeza exited the kitchen with the last of the food. This time Caleb patiently waited for Fjord to move his chair back, so he could take a seat as he placed the tray on the table.

“This all smells amazing.”

“You have Yeza to thank for that.”

Yeza waved the praise away with soft chuckle. “You had just as much to do with it as I did.”

“I was an assistant at best.”

“One of these days, I'll get you to accept the credit you deserve.”

“Fjord would disagree with you on that one. He says I'm too stubborn for my own good, isn't that right?” The smile Caleb directed his way caused his heart to melt as he immediately nodded his head in agreement, earning him a quick peck on the nose. “But, you are welcome to keep trying.”

All conversation died off while they turned their attention to the massive spread on the table. The first time Veth invited them over for a family dinner night, he'd been worried that things would be awkward or tense. Despite all the years they'd known each other, they still bickered and poked each other whenever they got the chance. He'd been worried their bickering would ruin things for everyone else, but it felt natural to fall into their normal habits with the others around to roll their eyes or throw out barbs of their own. It always left him feeling warm and excited for the next time they could have dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	162. Prompt 162 - Widofjord & Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Fill: Widofjord prompt Caleb is surprisingly tactile now that he and Fjord have gotten together. Usually holding Fjord's wrist while leaning his head on his chest while laying down the likes. It's not, unusual persay, but slightly off. Why hold his wrist and not his hand? One night one of the nein ask him about it. It's Fjord's pulse. If he were to be awoken by a nightmare he'd at least feel Fjord's pulse and remind himself that Fjord is there, alive, and so is Caleb himself.

After sliding a glass of whiskey across the table, Beau dropped into a chair across from him and kicked her feet up on the table. Rather than question her ditching the others to join him, he closed his book and leaned back in his chair with his whiskey in hand. The entire time he sipped at his drink Beau watched him closely without lifting her to his lips a single time. When he finally set his empty cup on the table, he raised any eyebrow at her.

“I'm assuming you didn't come over here just to bring me a drink.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

Beau's feet dropped off the table as she shifted to sit up straight in her chair with a hand on the tap that tapped a slow rhythm. “Why are you always holding Fjord's wrist? You know he wouldn't mind you holding his hand, right?”

“Ja, I know.”

“Then why the wrist?”

“His pulse. It is... comforting to feel it. If I have a nightmare or need the reminder, it is grounding. I know he is there, and we're both alive.”

“Have you told him that?”

“Of course. I know it is strange. I wanted to be sure he would be comfortable.”

“If you think about it, it's really not any weirder than holding hands. They get all sweaty and gross. Who decided holding hands was a good idea?”

“Generally speaking, you hold things with your hands, so it's not that weird.”

“That doesn't mean you should hold everything.” Beau slammed a hand down on the table and pointed at him with her other. “I mean there are tons of things you shouldn't hold. Other people's hands should totally be on the list. Even if you're holding on to Fjord's wrist, he can still do things with it because you're not making it all sweaty. The wrist makes so much more sense.”

“The point of holding hands is that you're both holding hands, not to hold other things.”

“You could take turns.”

With a soft laugh, Caleb stretched a hand across the table to squeeze Beau's hand in his for a moment. “Thank you for being supportive. I know other people think it is strange. It has drawn more than a few eyes. Fjord has assured me on multiple occasions that he does not mind, which is enough for me. As long as it works for us, the rest doesn't matter.”

“Of course, I'm going to support you. We all do.”

“Thank you.”

“Don't thank me for just being a friend.”

“It is more than that, and you know it.” Her hand shifted so they were clutching at each other tightly for a moment, then she released his and let his hand fall to her wrist. “I don't think I would have gotten where I am today with you. You drastically changed my life, and I will always be grateful for that. Your support, on anything, is always appreciated.”

“Shut up.”

While she tried to pass it off as scratching at her cheeks, he could tell she was trying to wipe at her eye to prevent unshed tears. He kept his hand on her wrist when he moved around the table to wrap his other arm around her for a hug. The chair scraped against the ground in the process of Beau standing up to pull him in for a proper hug. She squeezed him in a tight hold that nearly caused his back to pop from the pressure.

“As touching as this is, the others are ready to head back to the Chateau.”

Beau pulled back to push him in Fjord's direction, then shoved her hands in her pockets. “Yeah, yeah. We're coming.”

“Gentle, please.” Fingers brushed against his, then dropped down to let him latch onto Fjord's wrist. “The last thing he needs is anything concussion.”

“I'm not going to give him a concussion, especially when you're around to act all knight in shining armor!”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	163. Prompt 163 - Empire Siblings (Mighty Nein)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I feel like a sign that the Humans of the team trust someone is how willing they are to use them as a pillow/cuddle buddy. Like Beau and Caleb obviously trust eachother, and Caleb Veth, and Beau trusts Jester and Yasha, but think about it. Just one Day Yasha feels a bit of pressure on her arm and she assumes Beau, she looks down and it’s Caleb, or Fjord wakes up ans he’s trapped between two sleepy humans. Caduceus just smiles and hugs both the humans when he wakes up to them trying to keep him warm. It’s cute. If the Humans like you, they’ll fall asleep on you

**Yasha**

As she finished cleaning her bloody blade, something suddenly pressed against her bicep and stayed there. After taking a moment to sheath her sword, she turned to check on the source of the pressure. While she expected to see Beau leaning against her, a different human was using her as a personal pillow. The blood from his head wound had been cleaned off and the tears in his coat mended, but the exhaustion was still plain to see.

“Oh, you found him.” Beau's tired voice distracted her from further inspecting the wizard for any signs of unattended injuries. “Want me to move him?”

“No, he is fine. Did Caduceus tend to him?”

“Yeah, he's good. I think he just got tired of the poking and the questions.”

“That is fair. He needs the rest.”

“You are welcome to join him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“Well,” Beau flopped down on her other side, then leaned against her arm. “I can't pass that up.”

* * *

**Fjord**

The usual slow wake up surrounded by the warmth of another that he had come to enjoy came to an abrupt halt. He slowly opened his eyes to find the reason he felt a second body pressed against his side. His body relaxed at the familiar dark hair of Beau, who was already looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“When I fell asleep in this bed last night, I distinctly remember only one other person being here with me. How did you end up here?”

“Caleb woke up in the middle of the night.”

“Sure.”

“We did some research.”

“As you do.”

“We might have stayed up later than we meant to.”

“Did you forget which room you were in?”

“No.” The long pause following her denial had Fjord rolling his eyes at her. “It was easier to follow Caleb in here.”

“Right. Are you going to keep snoring, or can I go back to sleep?”

“Fuck you. I don't snore.”

An annoyed grumble from his other side was followed by Caleb cracking his eyes open to glare at them. “Ja, you do. Both of you go back to sleep.”

* * *

**Caduceus**

While he expected to wake up from his nap to a slight chill that accompanied him to sleep, he felt surprisingly warm. The warmth immediately made sense when he opened his eyes to find Beau and Caleb curled against his sides. When Beau's snoring momentarily stopped and she shuffled against his side, he wrapped his arms around both of them to pull them securely in. After a moment of fidgeting, Beau threw and arm across him that landed on Caleb, then went still and snored once again.

“This is nice.”

“It would be nicer if she would stop hitting me in her sleep.” Caleb's annoyed grumbled was followed by him grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers to keep it pinned. “Yasha and Jester swear they've never been hit by her when she's sleeping. They're either lying, or she saves it for me.”

“She just wants to make sure you're still there.”

“There are ways she could do that without hitting me.”

“Well, I think you have it handled now. You can go back to your nap.”

* * *

**Veth**

A sudden weight on her leg nearly caused her to jump in surprise, but she managed to stay perfectly still. Her eyes tore away from Caleb's intense focus on the items scattered around him to find Beau's head pillowed on her leg. Despite just settling down, she could tell that Beau was already fast asleep. Not even a poke to her head was enough to wake her from sleep.

“Do you want me to move her?” Yasha's calm voice dragged her gaze away from the woman passed out on. “I can.”

“It's fine. I can put her hair in pigtails.”

“She's going to hate that.”

“She should have thought of that before she decided to take a nap on me. It's the price.”

A low chuckle slipped from Yasha's lips. “I suppose that is fair. If you wanted to join her for a nap, I'll keep an eye on Caleb.”

“Thanks, Yasha.”

“You're welcome.”

* * *

**Jester**

“Hello, Caleb!”

“Hello, Jester. Do you mind?”

“Of course not!” She shuffled over to give him more space on the mossy log to take a seat next to her. “You know you don't have to ask. You're always welcome to join me.”

“What are you working on?”

“I'm drawing pictures for the Traveler.”

“Anything interesting?”

“I only draw him interesting pictures.”

“Apologizes. I didn't mean to-”

“You don't have to apologize. I was just joking.”

“Okay.”

Silence fell between them as she went back to her drawing and Caleb focused on whatever book he was working his way through. She was nearly done when she felt a weight against her arm that almost caused her pencil to skid across the paper. When she turned to say something to Caleb, a fond sigh fell from her lips instead at the fast asleep wizard. Before his book could end up on the damp grass, she plucked it from his hands to put it safely in the haversack.

“Sweet dreams, Caleb.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	164. Prompt 164 - Veth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Veth has a near death experience and, just before she's brought back, hears a voice whisper to her "Thank you for what you've done for Keyleth" She later asks Allura about the voice and Allura flips out because she never thought she'd hear from *insert either Tiberius or Vax'ildan* again.

“Allura, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.” After finishing her sentence, she set the parchment aside and turned all her attention to her. “How can I help you?”

“The last time we talked, you mentioned knowing Vilya because you're friends with her daughter. What was her name again?”

“Keyleth.”

“That's what I thought.”

“Why do you ask?”

“This weird thing happened that I thought you might be able to explain.”

With a tilt of her head, Allura straightened up in her chair. “I can't make any promises, but I will try my best. What happened?”

“Things got a little out of hand and I ended up unconscious for a bit. Before Caduceus healed me, I heard this voice that I didn't recognize. The voice thanked me for helping Keyleth.”

“What did the voice sound like?”

“It was a masculine voice. The accent sounded kind of like Fjord's. Does that ring any bells?”

For a moment, Allura went completely still, then her hand reached up to grip her necklace with wide eyes. “I...”

“You recognize the voice?”

“I never thought... You're sure that is the voice you heard?”

“Yes, why?”

“I never thought I would hear from him again.”

“Who?”

“Vax.” The sadness in her eyes went so deep that Veth felt her own heart pang in response. “He died a long time ago helping stop a great evil from ascending to godhood. He serves the Raven Queen.”

“It sounds like you were close.”

“We were friends. Good friends.”

“Would Keyleth want to know?”

“Yes, I imagine she would. Thank you for telling me this. Did it...”

Veth placed a comforting hand on the one Allura had gripping the arm of her chair. “Did it what?”

“Did it-his voice-sound okay?”

“I thought so. He just sounded genuinely grateful.”

“That's good. Thank you, Veth.” Allura released her hold on the chair to give Veth's hand a quick squeeze. “I appreciate knowing this more than you can know. I will tell Keyleth the next time I speak with her.”

“You're welcome. I should get back to the others. I'll let you know if I hear from him again.”

“Considering the circumstances, I hope you don't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	165. Prompt 165 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Widofjord prompt. Lucien tries to steal Caleb, Fjord ain't happy.

“There you are.” A vice-like grip wrapped around his wrist, then tugged him back into a solid body that an arm around his waist locked him to. “For a moment, I thought you wouldn't be here to see the fun, but I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. You're a curious one, and I think your curiosity should be rewarded.”

Despite attempting to dig his heels into the ground, Lucien easily dragged him backwards into the shadows of the ruins. He clawed useless at the hand now locked firmly around his mouth to prevent him from saying anything. His focus on fruitlessly trying to get away from Lucien left him completely unaware of the sudden presence behind them.

“If I were you, I would let him go right this second.”

“Really? What do you imagine you could do that would convince me that's a good idea?”

“There are a lot of things I could do, but I haven't made up my mind on which one I prefer.” Fjord's voice pitched into a low growl that caused a rumbling echo off the broken stone around him. “Let him go.”

“That sounds like a lot of talk for someone that ran away when things got a little dangerous. Did you find your courage?”

“Did you lose your sense? Where are all your friends?”

“You think I need them? After the way all of you fought last time, I don't see any reason to be concerned.”

“Is that so?”

The bright light of the Star Razor coming to life in Fjord's hand illuminated the shadows covering them. A dark chuckle sounded right in his ear as the hand around his mouth tightened to the point, he could feel the bone threatening to break. Despite the pain, he refused to make a whimper or whine in response to the building pressure. His fingernails dug into Lucien's skin, then tried to rip through the skin. Bone crunched filled the air as Lucien dislocated his jaw in retaliation for the deep scratches.

Before Lucien could do anything else, the light around them suddenly disappeared and a grunt of pain filled the air. When Lucien went to lash out at Fjord in retaliation for the sword skewered through him, he released the arm keeping Caleb pinned to his chest. He pushed through the intense pain to force him to break free of weak grip on his jaw that was the only point of contact left. Piercing red eyes glared at him for a brief moment, then Lucien kicked out at Fjord to give him the space he needed to retreat into the shadows.

Instead of following after him, Fjord quickly pulled Caleb into his arm and let out a low hiss. “Fuck that looks bad. Just hold still for a moment.”

A cupped his jaw so gently that he almost couldn't feel the touch. Warmth radiated through his jaw as the bone easily slid back into place without a hint of pain. He lifted his hand to give Fjord's wrist a grateful squeeze and leaned forward into his chest for support. The hand on his jaw slid up to tangle in hair as Fjord dropped his forehead down to rest them together.

“Stay close.”

“Ja, that is a good idea.”

His forehead knocked playfully against Caleb's, then he pulled back the tiniest bit. “Come on, we should get back to the group.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	166. Prompt 166 - Beaujester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beaujester hurt/comfort, with Jester tending to a hurt Beau, who is either hiding injuries or downplaying them. Bonus points if Beau got hurt protecting another of the Nein

“Please stay still.” A cool hand wrapped around her upper arm to prevent her from instinctively moving it away from the sting of the alcohol. “Why didn't you say something sooner? I bet this has been hurting all day.”

“It's still going to be hurting when you finish. I didn't think it mattered much. As long as it got taken care of eventually, and it is.”

“You didn't need to hide it.” After one last wipe, Jester set the bloodstained cloth aside and tugged the healer's kit over to her. “Did you not want all of us to find out, or were you just hiding it from Caleb?”

“I wasn't hiding anything.”

“If you weren't hiding it, why didn't you say something earlier. I could have cleaned it and bandaged. We even took a rest right after. It would have been the perfect time!”

“It's really not that bad.”

“Beau!”

The exasperated concern coloring Jester's words had her shoulders slumping in defeat as she turned her head to catch a glimpse of her face. “I didn't mean to upset you.”

“I'm not upset with you. I'm worried. What if it was poisoned or it had some sort of weird toxin or necrotic magic or something?”

“Next time, I promise I'll tell you.”

“Thank you.” The bandage tightened for a moment when Jester tied it off, then settled just tight enough to stay on her arm as Jester leaned down to press a kiss to it. “We should be able to heal it in the morning, but this will have to do for now.”

“You did a perfect job.”

“Of course, I did. I'm a cleric! It's what I do.”

“Thank you, Jessie.”

“You're welcome. Now, come on. You need to eat to help with the healing process.”

“I saw a pastry shop across the street that we could try.”

“Well, I wasn't going to mention it, but it did have some pretty tasty looking pastries in the window display.”

With a smile, she twisted her upper body to press a light kiss to Jester's lips that she immediately leaned into. “Let me get changed into something that's not covered in blood, then we can go.”

“Be careful of your arm. You don't want to open it back up. I'll have to wrap the whole thing up again if you bleed through the bandages.”

“I will.” After rising from the bed, she dipped down to plant a kiss on top of Jester's head on the way to her bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	167. Prompt 167 - Artagan (Widofjord/Beauyaster)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Widofjord/Beauyashter Prompt Jester's Succeed's a Divine Intervention to get rid of the eyes, But because it's Artagan he insists that they will only be removed with True Love's Kiss!

“Well, isn't this a stroke of luck.” The sudden presence of the archfey lounging on his hammock sent a wave of relief through him. “So, I heard you wanted to get those eyes off. I must say they are incredibly creepy. I don't know why you thought it was a good idea to get them in the first place.”

“No one thought it was a good idea to get them.”

“Whatever you say, the important thing is they're easily removable thanks to Jester.”

“You can remove them?”

The archfey disappeared off the hammock in a sparkling pink shower, only to reappear next to Caleb. “No, but I know how to remove them.”

“And that is?”

“True love's kiss! That's how it always works.”

“Maybe in fairytales, but that doesn't look like something out of a fairytale.”

“I'm sure Caleb would disagree. The Zemnians have some... dark fairytales. Either way,” Artagan gave Caleb a firm push in Fjord's direction that might have ended with him flat on his face if he didn't catch Caleb. “isn't it worth a try? After all, it certainly can't make things worse.”

“I, uh-”

“Just kiss him already.”

After sending Artagan a heated glare, he spun them around to use his body to shield Caleb from the rest of the room. “Cay, what's going on in that head of yours?”

“This is... beyond my understanding. I've never read or heard of anything like this happening before.”

“So, true love's kiss probably isn't the solution.”

“No, but we're talking about a mischievous archfey here. I think it's less the solution, and more the cost.”

“Sure. I guess that makes sense. Why would he-”

His question was cut off by a pair of winter chapped lips pressing to his own for a few brief seconds. While his mind went completely blank, his body basked in warmth of his lips and the slight tug from the hand buried in his hair. When their lips parted, he blinked for a few moments at Caleb, then looked down check his shoulder. Relief washed through him at the lack of a bright red eye staining his skin.

“Thank gods.” He dropped his forehead against Caleb's and lifted his hand up to cover the now clear skin. “It's gone.”

“What was that?” An annoyed slipped from his lips before he could stop it, then he turned to face Artagan. “Look at that! True love's kiss did work. Next!”

For a moment, Beau refused to meet anyone's gaze, then she shuffled over to where Yasha stood still as a statue. A few whispered words passed between them before Yasha dipped down to press a quick kiss to Beau's lips. The bright shine of the red eye still on the back of her hand caused a spike of worry through him.

“You know, sometimes it takes more than one true love's kiss to do it. Rule of twos or something.”

“That sounds like bullshit.”

“Does it?” While it was hard to tell with the wild eyebrows, he seemed to be raising one at her. “It worked for Caleb. You're just a special one that needs two to make it work.”

“You're a fucking dick.” With a heavy sigh, Beau crossed the room to softly cup Jester's jaw. “Sorry.”

A few seconds later the bright red on her hand disappeared just like Caleb's. “And my work here is done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	168. Prompt 168 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: That last fic gives me an idea to pass along to ya, Prompt: 5 times the rest of the Nein use Fjord as a threat against Caleb to get him to take care of himself plus the one time someone uses Caleb as a threat on Fjord to take care of himself.

**1.**

“What are you still doing up?”

Rather than meet Beau's disappointed gaze, he kept his focus on his transcribing the intricate spell. “Working.”

“How much longer do you have on that?”

“Few days.”

“Did you just say a few days?”

“Ja, just a few.”

“And did you plan on, I don't know, sleeping at any point? Or, are you planning on pushing yourself to the point of collapse to finish this?”

“I'll be fine.”

“That didn't answer my question.”

“I'm working, Beauregard.”

“Yeah, I see that. I can also see the bags under your eyes. We've fought skeletons that look more alive than you do right now.”

“As charming as always.”

“Yeah, I think that's enough.” A hand suddenly appeared in his vision to snatch his lifted quill out of his hand, then his spellbook. “You're not doing that. We already agreed to take at least a week off. This pushing yourself for no reason is not happening. You can come back to this tomorrow.”

“Give it back.”

“Do I need to go get Fjord?”

“What?”

“If you're not going to listen to me, I'll go get someone you will listen to. So, do I need to go get Fjord or are you going to bed like an adult?”

“You're the actual worse.”

“Go to bed.”

“I want that back first thing in the morning.”

“Bed.”

* * *

**2.**

“Stay still, Mr. Caleb.” A large hand gently settled on his chest to prevent him from sitting up. “You don't want to aggravate your wounds. It will make it easier to heal you tomorrow.”

“A little reading won't hurt.”

“Reading isn't rest. You need sleep.”

“It is not that bad.”

“It took everything Jester and I had left to get you to this point.” When he opened his mouth to argue, Caduceus gave him a little pat that caused a slight pain. “I can make you some tea to settle your mind.”

“You don't need to do that.”

“Would you prefer that I get Mr. Fjord to keep you company?”

“That's not necessary. I'll just go to sleep.”

“Are you sure? I doubt he would mind.”

“I wouldn't want to bother him.”

“I don't think he would consider it, but I will leave you to your rest. If you need anything, I left your copper wire on the table to message us.”

“Thank you, Caduceus.”

“You're welcome. Rest well.”

* * *

**3.**

“Caleb, don't forget to breathe. That's really important. You know, I don't think I've met anyone that didn't need to breathe. Wouldn't that be cool? I bet it would be pretty cool. You wouldn't have to worry about going under water or nasty smells. There would be so many benefits!” While Jester had filtered through many topics, this was the first he'd been able to focus on enough to make sense of her words. “What do you think, Caleb? Wouldn't it be cool?”

“It would not be the worst thing.”

“Where's Frumpkin?”

“I haven't found the time to bring him back.”

“Do you want to do that now?”

He took a shuddering breath in, then gave a jerky shake of his head. “I do not have what I need.”

“Why didn't you say something when we went out yesterday? We could have picked up what you needed.”

“You don't need to do that.”

“Caleb, aren't we friends?”

“Of cour-”

“Then why didn't you tell us?” With a huff, Jester rose from her spot next to him. “Now, I'm going to get you some supplies. You should take a nap.”

“I have work I should be doing.”

“Do I need to get Fjord to make sure you take some time to yourself?”

“Please don't.”

“Okay, but you better be relaxing when I get back!”

“I will.”

* * *

**4.**

Despite reaching for his drink, Yasha moved it further away from him so it would be well out of his reach. “Why did you take that? I'm not done with it.”

“You are very drunk right now.”

“Ja, that is the point. We are drinking to get drunk.”

“Which you are.”

“But I didn't finish that.”

“You don't need to.”

“Yasha-”

“No, I am saving you a horrible hangover in the morning.”

“It's almost done. I can finish it.”

For a moment, Yasha looked him dead in the eye, then quickly threw back the rest of his dead and slammed the empty tankard down. “There. Done.”

“That was mine.”

“Now it is gone, and it is time for bed.”

“I wanted that.”

“You didn't need that.” Yasha pushed away from the table and offered a hand out that he ignored in favor of staring wistfully at the tankard. “Should I go get Fjord?”

“He'll be mad at me.”

“No, he won't.”

“I can get to our room.”

“Up you get.”

* * *

**5.**

“Why don't you go to bed, Lebby?” A hand gently brushing back the hair that fall free from his ponytail at some point during the evening. “You can barely keep your eyes open.”

“I'm fine. You can keep talking. I'm listening.”

“What was the last thing I said?”

“That I could barely keep my eyes open.”

“Before that.”

“That I should go to bed.”

A sharp flick to the hand keeping his head propped up nearly caused him to bang his chin on the table. “If you actually knew, you wouldn't be sassing me. Off to bed with you.”

“There's no need for me to go to bed. I'm not even tired.”

“That is a complete and utter lie.”

“It isn't.”

“Two seconds ago, you could hardly keep your eyes open. Even now, you're struggling.” Veth placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips in annoyance. “You know I don't want to do it, but I will get Fjord. His noddle arms might not be able to carry much, but I know he can carry you to bed if he has to.”

“Don't be mean.”

“Go to bed.”

“Fine. I'm going. Good night, Veth.”

* * *

**+1**

“How are we looking, captain?” A handle settling on his shoulder was almost enough to cause his body to slum forward. “You good?”

“Yeah, just a long day. Almost over now though.”

“All the more reason to head to bed. I can take over here.”

“You need your rest.”

“I've had my rest. It's your turn to get some shut eye. I'm pretty sure I saw Caleb looking pretty lonely in your cabin.”

“That's not fair.”

With a chuckle, Beau checked him with her hip to get him off the wheel, then sidestepped to take his place. “It's not fair that I'm taking over so you can go snuggle with your wizard? What do you consider fair?”

“That's not what I meant.”

“Listen, you're going to bed one way or another. You can go on your own or I'll go wake up Caleb and he can drag you off.”

“The last one that needs to be woken up is Caleb.”

“Then get your ass to bed. I'll can do this.”

“I...” A sigh slipped from his lips as he finally gave into Beau's demand. "Are you sure you have this? I can go wake up-”

“Stop stalling. Go to bed. Everything will be fine.”

“Wake me if something happens.”

“I will. Get some rest.”

“I will. Thanks, Beau.”

“You're welcome, Cap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	169. Prompt 169 - Widofjord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: For that widofjord teenwolf AU (I keep thinking about it, so good!)... How about Fjord going alpha to protect Caleb?

A grunt of pain from somewhere to his left drew his attention from the dead werewolf at his feet to Caleb backing away with his hand pressed to his arm. Anger coursed through him as the werewolf in front of Caleb rose their bloody claws for another strike at him. Before they could swipe down, Fjord let out a furious roar that froze them in place. The familiar sensation of his body rippling and shifting into that of a wolf tore through him.

The werewolf attempted to redirect their claws in his direction, but he slammed his momentum into them before they could manage it. Their body struck the ground hard, which he used as an opportunity to climb atop them to keep them pinned. He bared his teeth at them with a snarl that grew when they began to struggle against him. When the tear of claws through his side sent a spike of pain through him, his teeth snapped forward to clamp around their throat and rip it clean out.

He spit the chunk of flesh right back out as he stepped off the still body to check on the bleeding human nearby. Blue eyes closely watched him pad over, then blinked curiously at him for a few seconds. A soot covered hand reached out to run through the thick fur on the top of his head and down the side of his neck. After pressing into the hand for a moment, he let his body shift back into human.

His bones cracked as he straightened up to gently take Caleb's injured arm in his hand to better inspect the wound. The intensity of his focus was so great that he didn't realize Caleb's blush, until the sound of his heart beat picking up broke through his focus. Instead of meeting blue eyes, he found Caleb looking determinedly to the upper left of him but turning to check revealed nothing.

“Cay, is something wrong?”

“You're, um...” A soft laugh slipped from Caleb's lips as he continued to not look him in the eye. “Clothes and transforming don't go along well with each other it seems. I hope you weren't too attached to them.”

“Oh, fuck. Sorry. Shit, I-”

The laughter picked up from Caleb as he finally met Fjord's eyes. “I probably should have known. I don't know why I wasn't expecting it.”

“I should probably transform back. This... It's a bit of a long walk to make naked.”

“That's probably a good idea.” Caleb gave his pec a little pat as he bit his bottom lip to prevent more laughter. “You wouldn't want some hiker to see you.”

“Yeah, I'm going to do that. I can take care of that when we get back. Just keep pressure on it.”

“Ja, I know.”

“Good. Okay. I'm just going to... you know now.”

“We'll meet you back at the house.”

“And I will be dressed appropriately.”

“I'm sure you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	170. Prompt 170 - Brjeaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fjord and Beau hurt/comfort?

“What are you still doing up?” Despite the ache in his lower back, Fjord sat down next to Beau in front of the crackling fire. “I thought you went to bed.”

“Couldn't sleep.”

“Any particular reason?”

When Beau remained worryingly silent, Fjord looked over at her to see her staring blankly at the fire. As he took a closer look at her, his eyes landed on a dark spot staining the outside of her pant leg. He reached a hand out to poke at the spot, causing her to hiss in pain and swat away his hand from the covered wound.

“Were you not planning on telling anyone about that?”

“It will heal.”

“Sure, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of it. Don't you have a healer's kit or bandages or something?”

“There's no point wasting that on this.”

A scoff slipped free before he could do anything to prevent it. “We can buy more. It's not like we're hurting for gold. Where's the stuff?”

“It's fine.”

“If it was fine, it wouldn't have hurt when I poked it.”

“It wasn't that bad.”

“Do you want me to do it again?”

“No.”

“Where's the stuff?”

With a sigh, Beau struggled to her feet and motioned for him to follow her to the center of the tower. His back twinged in protest as he rose to follow her up the tower to her room. She tossed her discarded bag at him, then dropped into one of the plush armchairs. 

“Pants need to go.”

“Never thought I'd hear you say that to me.”

While Beau focused on lifting her hips up, he quickly and carefully slid her pants down. “This looks nasty. You should have said something earlier, then someone better at this could have helped.”

“All you have to do is clean and wrap it. It's not that difficult.”

“In my experience, it's quicker and hurts less when the person doing it knows what they're doing.”

“Is that why you always have Caleb tend to your wounds?”

“Listen,” He pointed a finger at Beau with his eyes narrowed in an annoyed glare. “he knows what he's doing.”

“And you like staring at him while he does it.”

“Shut up.” While he tried to be gentle, he could feel her muscles fighting to stay still for him as he carefully cleaned the wound. “You have no room to judge.”

“I'm not judging. Nothing wrong with enjoying someone you think is attractive taking care of your wounds. You should make a move the next time he does it.”

“That doesn't seem like a good idea.”

“You never know until you try.”

“Are you saying this because you want me to try and tell you how it goes?”

“I didn't say that.”

He fondly rolled his eyes as he lifted her leg with one hand and did his best to wrap it with the other one. “How about you let me focus on this instead of trying to get me to hook up with your brother?”

“One, you wouldn't just be hooking up with him. Two, it's a good distraction. Three, you need to get a move on before someone else does.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“You're welcome. It's what I'm here for.”

“You're here for more than that. Someone has to punch things super hard.”

“I am really good at punching things.”

“One might even say that's your specialty.”

“Nobody punches like me.”

“Nobody.” He lowered her leg back to the chair to finish tying off the bandage, then gave her knee a soft pat. “I think it's time to head to bed. Need help up?”

“Are you sure you can handle it, old man? I saw you holding your lower back.”

“I'm going to revoke my offer of help.”

“Dick. Help me.”

“Only because you asked so nicely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	171. Prompt 171 - Artagan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Artagan meets some of the Nein's allies.

“This looks like fun.” The sudden appearance of an archfey in the one open chair at the table caused their allies to jump in surprise. “Are we planning an attack on someone or playing a battle strategy game?”

“Arty, you came!”

“Well, you did ask nicely. What was I supposed to do? Ignore your invitation?”

“I have a few questions for you.”

“So, I heard.”

“Okay, I'm going to ask them, but first I should introduce you to everyone. It's the polite thing to do, you know.”

“If you insist.”

“Of course, of course!” Jester loudly clapped her hands together. “I'm pretty sure I've told you about everyone here. This is Astrid and Eodwulf.”

“Ah, yes. The exs.”

“That's Yusra. He's a super powerful and smart wizard that has his own tower in Nicodranas. I'm sure you saw it at some point when you visited me.”

“I always love meeting dragons. They're always so fun.”

“Essek is right there.”

“So many wizards. Don't you know how to make friends with people that aren't wizards? They spend so much time reading. It's so boring!” He looked over at Caleb with a large smile and a flick of bright pink sparkling magic. “No offense.”

“And this is Allura! She's amazing.”

“So I've heard.”

“Everyone this is the Traveler, but you guys can call him Artagan.”

A voice cleared across the table as Allura sat up straighter in her chair with one hand drumming on the table. “You know, I think I have a few friends that would love to catch up with you.”

“Oh, I was thinking more like in a few hundred years we can catch up for drinks. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms.”

“So I heard.”

“Well,” Artagan leaned back in his chair with a wide smile stretched across his face. “this has been awkward. How about those questions? As much fun as this is, I do have things to do.”

“Right. Let's see...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	172. Prompt 172 - Empire Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: More medkit use! Either people with no Clerics or the Clerics are tapped out

As soon as he felt the first touch of a hand pressing on his back, his entire body tensed in preparation. The sting of the alcohol burning as the drenched cloth dragged through the wound had him clenching his fist to prevent sounds of pain from escaping. A tap of two fingers against his shoulder reminded him to take a deep breath before he passed out. After giving him a few seconds break, the cleaning resumed for several more long minutes.

“Done with that.” Rustling of Beau digging through the healer's kit sounded behind him, then the hand on his back returned. “Fair warning, this is going to be cold.”

The initial press of the healing salve into the wound sent a shiver down his spine from the cool temperature. Unlike cleaning the wound, Beau quickly applied the healing salve without causing much additional pain. If anything, the areas were slowly going numb from whatever numbing agent was in it.

“How does it feel?”

“I can't feel much of it.”

“Good. Can you tell if I missed any spots?”

“I don't think you did.”

“Ready for the last step?”

After taking a deep breath, he did his best to straighten up without reopening the wound and ruining all of Beau's work. “Do it.”

“You'll need to lift your arms for me to get it around. Tell me if you need a break.”

“Ja, okay.”

The press of a thick pad covering the wound was quickly followed by the first wrap of the bandage around his chest. While she tried to work quickly, the pain from the wound came on faster from his arms being lifted. It took three breaks before she was able to finish wrapping the wound, allowing him to finally relax. He felt incredibly grateful for the numbing agent that helped ease the pain back to nothingness.

"That should hold until the morning. I'd sleep on your stomach or side tonight. It'll hurt like a bitch in the morning if you sleep on your back."

“Like a bitch might be a bit of an understatement.”

“Don't do it, and you won't have to find out.”

“I won't.” Slowly as possible, he turned on the bed to face Beau. “Thank you for doing that.”

“You'd do the same for me. It's not a big deal.”

“Nevertheless, I appreciate it. If I could, I would hug you.”

“You could just ask.”

“Ask what?”

“For a hug.”

“That's not what I was doing.” Despite the obvious deflection, he sank into the warmth of Beau wrapping herself around him for a hug. “We should sleep. The others should get here early tomorrow morning. It would be best to be up for that.”

“You get settled. I still need to clean up.”

“Don't take too long.”

“I won't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	173. Prompt 173 - Dairon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dairon having some one on one time with the Nein?

**Caleb**

“Do you mind if I join you?”

He lifted his eyes from his reading in surprise at Dairon's voice breaking through his focus. “Not at all.”

“Thank you.” They set down a stack of books and their journal at the seat across from him but didn't make any move to open them. “I wanted to thank you.”

“For?”

“Being there. For Beau. Your whole group is close, but the two of you... I am glad she found a family. People she can trust.”

“She is an incredible woman. I am better for having met her. Beauregard is... she is the best of us.”

“She is a good one.”

“Ja, a good egg.”

Dairon gave him a half-smile, then flicked open her journal to a page already covered in a tight scrawling handwriting. “A good egg.”

* * *

**Fjord**

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, he flicked his towel over his shoulder and turned to exit the training room. An unexpected figure leaning casually next to the doorway caused his to jump in surprise. Dairon raised an eyebrow in wordless questions, then pushed off the wall to stand up straight with their shoulders back.

“Sorry, I didn't see you there. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long.”

“I'm not in a rush.”

“That's a first.” He shuffled his weight uncertainly from one foot to the other. “Did you need something?”

“I thought we might go out for drinks to talk about what you've all been up to.”

“I'd be happy to, but wouldn't you rather hear that from Beau?”

“She already gave me her report. I'd like to hear another perspective on everything you did.”

“I can do that. Did you have somewhere in mind?”

“Caleb mentioned a place nearby we could go.”

“Lead the way.”

* * *

**Yasha**

While she originally planned on heading to bed, Yasha diverted her intended path up to the sixth floor of the tower to sit next to Dairon. They flicked their eyes over to her for a brief moment, then went back to watching the fire in the hearth. For a moment, they sat in peaceful silence, then Dairon cleared their throat and looked out of the corner of their eye at her.

“What are you still doing up?”

“Needed to work out some energy. You can make a training space with those double doors.”

“That is good to know.” Dairon finally turned her head to completely look at her. “How are things going with you and Beau? She looked happy.”

“They are good. She is amazing, but you know that.”

“I do. I'm glad things are good.”

“So am I.”

* * *

**Jester**

After knocking on the door a few times, Jester cracked the door open to poke her head into the room. She smiled in response to the stern expression on Dairon's face that faded into a curious quirk of their eyebrow. When she waved Jester in, the door quietly clicked shut as she moved to take the empty chair in front of the desk.

“I didn't realize you were back in Zadash.”

“Beau and Caleb needed to research something super important.”

“Did they need help?”

“No, it's just boring to watch them research.” She leaned forward across the desk to get a look at what Dairon had been so focused on before she entered. “Are you busy?”

“Always.”

“You should take a vacation. Oh, you should visit Nicodranas. It's beautiful there and I'm sure my mama would love to meet you!”

“I do have work to be doing.”

“Right, I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Beau. It meant a lot to her.”

“It was the least I could do.”

“Still, thank you. We'll probably be here until dinner. You should join us.”

“If I can, I will.”

* * *

**Veth**

Her finger tapped against the arm of the chair to give her hands something to do while she impatiently waited. Yasha and Fjord had long ago been pressured into getting some rest while Caduceus and Jester worked on Beau and Caleb. It took her assuring them she would wake them up as soon as she heard anything from their two clerics, but she hadn't seen either of them in hours. All of her self-control had been focused on forcing herself not to enter the rooms to ask questions.

The click of boots on the stone floor gave her something to focus on that wasn't her building worry. “Dairon.”

“Veth, how are they?”

“No word.”

“Would you mind if I joined you?” After shaking her head no, Dairon took a seat next to her on the floor. “They will be fine.”

“I keep telling myself that.”

“It's true. They are fighters. Be focused on what you will do for them when they wake.”

“We have plenty of experience with that.”

“I'm sure you do.”

* * *

**Caduceus**

“Would you care for some tea?” Dairon accepted the cup with a thankful nod, then took one of the empty chairs at the table. “I always find tea the best way to end off a stressful day. It doesn't necessarily make things better, but it helps put things in perspective.”

“This is very good.”

“Thank you.”

“How are you doing after today?”

“I wouldn't say good, but better than most of the others. Today was, uh, stressful. I think we're all in need of a little downtime after that.”

With a nod, Dairon took a moment to drink some more tea, then set the cup on the table. “A little rest would do you all well.”

“I'm glad you agree. It will make it easier to convince the others, especially Beau.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


	174. Prompt 174 - Veth & Fjord (Widofjord/Empire Siblings)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Drunk Fjord and Veth gushing about how amazing Caleb is. Bonus points for other Mighty Nein egging them on and/or a bright crimson Caleb

“He's just so smart! How did he get to be so smart? I've never met anyone as smart as him.”

After taking a long pull from his drink, Fjord vigorously nodded his head in agreement. “I know! And, he's so good at magic. Even when we first met, his magic was so cool and he's only gotten color. He can turn into a t-rex. How cool is that?”

“He made a whole tower!”

“He did. He did, and he put so much thought into it. I don't know how he does it. He made everyone their own room and there are so many books. How has he had time to read all those?”

“He works too hard.” Veth slammed her tankard down on the table, then pointed at Fjord. “You should take him somewhere special! He deserves to have a nice break.”

“Where do you take someone that can go anywhere they want?”

“But he hasn't been everywhere. Take him somewhere.”

“Do you think he would go?”

“Probably. He likes you for some reason.”

Fjord's glare lost all heat when he let out a hiccup that caused Veth to nearly fall out of her seat from laughing. With them momentarily distracted, Beau shifted her attention to the beet red wizard sitting next to her. Before their distraction could turn to bickering, she cleared her throat to get their attention.

“What else do you think about Caleb?”

A consternation expression twisted Fjord's face for a moment, then he made a triumphant noise. “Did you see him today during negotiations? He looked so regal and knew exactly what to say. When that one dick tried to contradict him, he just put them right in their place and made him look like a complete asshole.”

"He looked regal?”

“Didn't you think so? His hair was all fancy and those clothes made the color his hair and eyes just look... wow. He's so pretty. Do you think people ever tell him that? They should. He's gorgeous and smart. It's amazing.”

“I didn't pick up on that.”

“Hey!” A fork went flying way over her head that was quickly followed by a spoon that didn't come close to hitting. “Caleb is amazing.”

“I know, Veth.”

“Don't you forget it!”

“I won't.”

“Good because Caleb is amazing. He does magic and he reads, and you're supposed to be his friend.”

“I am his friend.”

“You haven't said anything nice about him. Do you not think Caleb is amazing?”

A snort of laughter from Caleb had her discreetly elbowing him in the side. “What do you want me to say? He's amazing.”

“Damn right! We should make a list of why he's amazing and give it to him in the morning.”

“That is a fantastic idea. I'll write it for you.” She pulled out her journal and flicked to the back. “What's first on the list?”

“Smart. Put smart first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


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